Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rif (ask the caretaker to open it for you, if necessary), its pleasant garden with old can-
nons and the display of silk wedding gowns.
Artisanal School
( 0539 97 27 21; admission Dh10; 8.30am-2.30pm Sat-Thu, 8.30-11.30am Fri)
Just outside Bab
el-Okla is the best artisan centre in northern Morocco. This is a fascinating opportunity to
see masters teaching apprentices traditional arts, including ornamental woodwork, silk
costumes, carved plaster, intricate mosaics and decorative rifles. A fantastic central treas-
ury holds the best of the best - don't miss the ceiling. Staff will open the treasury upon re-
quest. The building itself is of interest, set around a large courtyard, with fine doors up-
stairs.
NOTABLE BUILDING
LANDMARK
Place Hassan II
The broad and empty Pl Hassan II, which is mostly roped off for security reasons, links
the medina to the Ensanche. It looks like it houses the Wizard of Oz, with guards standing
somewhat bizarre columns towering all around. These are not minarets, as one might sup-
pose, but art nouveau light towers designed by Enrique Nieto, a student of Gaudà who
lived in Melilla. The large decorations on the opposite wall are abstract Hands of Fatima,
a common symbol used to ward off the evil eye. There are a few cafes that are good for a
rest, particularly on the 2nd floor, which allows a grander view.
The Ensanche
lined by bright white Spanish colonial architecture, with a few art deco elements, reminis-
cent of styles found elsewhere (eg in Casablanca and Larache) with restoration funded by
the Andalucian government.
Archaeology Museum
MUSEUM
