Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Akkal ceramic
Right
Babouches
Marrakech Souvenirs
!
Babouches
but much of it is low grade. For
quality oil, it's best to buy from a
reputable dealer.
£
Carpets
Babouches are Moroccan
slippers, handmade from local
leather, although increasingly
the babouches found in the
souks are made of a synthetic
plastic that only looks like
leather. In their most basic form
they are pointy-toed and come
in a variety of colours - canary
yellow being the most
common - but are otherwise
plain. Increasingly however,
boutiques and shops are
customizing their babou-
ches with silk trim, or
even carving the leather
with exquisite designs.
@
Argan oil
Marrakech is famed for its
carpets, made by the tribes of
the south. Each tribe has its
own patterns. Beware the
salesmen's patter. Some
carpets are very old and
made of genuine cactus silk
but these are rare. Most
sold today, though
beautiful, are quite
modern and made from
non-natural fibres. Buy a
carpet if you like it, and
not because you have
been told that it's a
good investment.
$
Pottery
Argan oil is an almost
mystical substance to
which all kinds of
properties are attributed
(see p90)
. Part of its
mystique can be credited to the
rarity of argan trees, which only
grow in southwestern Morocco.
The oil is sold all over the souks
Each region of
Morocco produces its
own distinctive pottery. The local
style is plain terracotta finished
with colourful glazes. Ceramics
from the Akkal factory would not
look out of place in a cutting
edge design shop. Or visit the
big pottery souk outside Bab
Ghemat which is to the south-
east of the medina.
%
Lanterns
Fanous lantern
There are two types of
lanterns: those that hang from
the ceiling and those that sit on
the floor. The former (known as
fanous
) are typically fashioned
from metal and come in
elaborate shapes with intricate
Fruit of the argan tree
16
