Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
!
Mouassine Fountain
There are two main routes
into the souks: Rue Mouassine
and Rue Semarine. The former
runs past the Mouassine
Mosque, after which the neigh-
bourhood is named. A right turn
at the mosque leads to a small
plaza that holds a fountain with
four bays, three for animals and
one for humans. An arched
gateway next to the fountain
leads to the Souk des Teinturiers
(see below)
.
d
Map J2
@
Dar Cherifa
This beautifully renovated
town house can be located by
following the signs at the head
of the alley opposite the side of
the Mouassine Mosque. Boast-
ing exquisite woodwork and
carved plasterwork, some of the
interiors date back to the 16th
century. The house operates as a
cultural centre, hosting regular
shows by local artists. There's
also a small library and tea and
coffee served.
d
Map J2 • 8 derb
Charfa Lakbir, Mouassine • 0524 39 16 09
• Open 9am-7pm daily • www.
marrakech-riads.net
Mouassine Fountain
example of a
fondouk
or old
merchants' hostel. Currently the
rooms on the ground floor are
used as workshops and the ones
upstairs are mainly used for
storage purposes. This particular
fondouk has had a brush with
moviedom, when it featured
in the film
Hideous Kinky
as
the hotel where actress Kate
Winslet and her daughters are
shown to be lodged.
d
Map J2
• 192 rue Mouassine
£
Fondouks
$
Souk des Teinturiers
To the north of the
Mouassine Mosque, past Café
Arabe
(see p71)
, is an excellent
One of the most alluring
places in Marrakech, the Dyers'
Souk is a tangle of narrow
alleyways east of the
Mouassine Mosque. It
becomes a riot of
colours during the
days, when hanks of
just-dyed wools are
hung out to dry above
certain alleys. The
dyers themselves are
very easy to identify;
they are the men
with red, purple
and blue colours
up to their elbows
(see p14).
Fondouk El Mizane
67
For more on the souks,
see pp14-15.
