1. hitting
the souks
is a rite of
passage for any
Marrakech visitor,
but once you’re
all haggled out,
there’s another corner of town beckoning,
just beyond the stalls. Kaât Bennahid
might be one of Marrakech’s oldest
neighbourhoods, but it’s had a super-
stylish growth spurt recently, with hip art
galleries, chic riads and slick restaurants
sprouting up, geared towards a
fashionable set. We’d even go so far as to
say they’re some of the best spots in town.
The medina’s old-world charm has got serious competition from a slew of boutique
boltholes just beyond the souks – making it a pretty fine place to spend an Arabian night
LE FOUNDOUK
55 Souk Hal Fassi
Part of this restaurant’s
intrigue is that it’s rather
tricky to locate, but once you
find it, you’ll enter a lair filled
with fragrant roses and
flickering candles. Melt into
one of the red velvet lounge
chairs in the downstairs bar
with a Casablanca beer.
fondouk.com
LA CLINIQUE DE
BALLON
14 Talâa, Souk Tihane
The Boukentar family makes
vintage-style footballs using
calf leather from the adjacent
tannery. “I think we’re the only
football artisans left in
Morocco,” says owner Kamal,
who is teaching his nine-year-
old twin sons the trade.
fabrique-ballon-maroc.jimdo.com
12.
WHERE TO
GET STYLISH IN
MARRAKECH
WORDSPAIGEDARRAHPHOTOSTIMEWHITE
S T R E E T V I E W
LOCAL DISH
A real speciality
often overlooked
by visitors is
la tangia lamb
curry, slow-cooked
over a fire pit with
lemon and saffron.
T H E
M A N U A L
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2. POP UP SHOP
32 Souk El Jeld Sidi
Abdelaziz
Contrary to its name, this
fashion boutique, owned by
Algerian fashion designer
Norya Aryan, is a permanent
fixture. It champions abayas
(Arabic for ‘dresses’) in
androgynous, relaxed
silhouettes and vibrant
colours, from 950MAD (€88).
norya-ayron.com
WHO’S BEHIND
THE COUNTER?
DAR CHRIFA
LAMRANIA
11 Zaouit Lahdar
“When I sleep, I see
Picasso and Dali. I want to
be like them. That’s why I
paint and paint and paint,”
says hippy artist Chrif
(or ‘the Sheriff’), whose
abstract, trippy paintings
are unexpectedly cool and
a wonderful contrast to
other art ateliers found in
the medina. Passersby in
the alleyway where his
shop is based can’t help
but poke their heads
inside to check out the
neon pink and green
canvasses on display, from
215MAD (€20).
THE SHELFIE
Aryan repurposes extra fabric
in a rainbow of patterns into her
tote bags, 200MAD (€18)
Bags with tassels made
by a women’s co-op,
1,600MAD (€148)
The metallic clutch
(above) is hand-sewn
locally, 700MAD (€65)
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3. T H E
M A N U A L
HAND WEAVING ART
6 Souk Ahel Fes
This cute, well-organised
scarf workshop opened last
year and has someone almost
permanently installed behind
a loom, so you can see them
being woven. “We only work
with natural materials. You
can’t find scarves like this in
the souks,” says owner
Mustapha Ben Aziz.
TREAT
YOURSELF
Bundle up against
the chill nights in a
rare sheep’s wool
and linen combo
scarf in pastel
pink, cobalt blue
or mint green,
200MAD (€19).
LA MAISON DE LA
PHOTAGRAPHIE
Rue Ahl Fes
This thriving archive of
Morocco’s historically diverse
population (Muslims, Jews,
Berbers, Tauregs) has some
intriguing subjects, such as
the ground-floor photo of
a 1930s socialite-turned-
billiards-champion.
maisondelaphotographie.ma
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
MOUSTAPHA CHOUQUIR
City tour guide
“The foundouks [old travellers’ inns] in
the Kaât Bennahid area are turning
into artisan workshops today, doing
away with the middlemen, so that you
deal directly with the maker and pay
less – great for bagging a bargain.
One man I know has been making
babouches [pointy slippers] here for
more than 60 years in the same shop.”
DON’T MISS...
The Ben Youssef Madersa is a
striking Koran college, with stunning
14th-century carved cedar domes
and green zellige mosaics around
every corner. Expect to max out your
camera’s SIM card here.
medersa-ben-youssef.com
PHOTOSALAMY
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4. RIAD FARNATCHI
2 Derb el Farnatchi, Rue
Souk el Fassis
This nine-suite boutique hotel
has Arab latticed lighting
above king-sized beds,
cavernous rain showers and
intimate terraces to hide away
in, but the jewel in its crown is
an illuminated emerald pool
that glows at night.
riadfarnatchi.com
LE JARDIN
32 Souk Sidi Abdelaziz
The menu here is inspired
by Israeli-born chef Yotam
Ottolenghi. “Morocco and
Jerusalem have similar street
food, but we do it smaller,
like tapas,” says owner Kamal
Laftimi. This restaurant’s
biggest draw though, is its
blissfully quiet garden.
lejardin.ma
INSIDE OUT
Parakeets tweet from a
wooden cage in the middle
of Le Jardin’s courtyard
Spot something moving
at floor level? That’ll be
Charlotte, resident turtle
and good-luck charm
Order an avocado
milkshake and catch a
documentary or Arab film
projected onto the walls
Climbing and sailing rope
& leather bracelets
Personalised
engraving available
Take a photo of this page now,
buy your favourite bracelet later
WWW.BOING-INC.COM
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