Shopping in the Souks of Marrakech: An Insider's Tour!

[00:00:00] Ted Cragg (Producer): Welcome back listeners. We've got another great episode for you direct from Morocco, and this is going to be another one that I highly recommend you hop over to our YouTube channel to see the video version. We don't do this often, but every once in a while we get episodes where we have the video recorded as well. And although you can still listen to the audio version here, the video will give you a much [00:01:00] deeper appreciation for what's going on.

[00:01:02] In this case, we are touring the souks of Marrakesh. Azdean takes us on a tour and you'll get to see some artisan crafts workers in their shops. Showing us how they make their incredible creations, Azdean visits an artisan wool shop, which is in fact a cooperative, and they provide hand dyed wool for the women's cooperatives that we have also featured here on the podcast, such as a few episodes ago, episode number 79, when Azdean chatted at the Women's Rugs Cooperative near Ouarzazate, and they get a lot of their supplies from this wool shop here in Marrakesh.

[00:01:37] So in the video you'll see the different types of coloring. you'll see the color in powder form, and then watch as the wool master. He adds a few little drops of water to make it transform into a vibrant indigo blue. It's really neat.


[00:01:51] He shows us the stages of preparation, the steaming of the wool and the cotton, and then spinning it dry, and then they add the color. And then best of [00:02:00] all, you get to see the finished products, the pashmina shawls, the scarves, pillowcases, carpets, handbags, and lots more. You'll see Azdean actually trying on a Sahara Turban, the type that you wear when you're on a camel going for Camel Treks in the desert.


[00:02:15] And you see how they take it from basically a scarf, a rectangular piece of fabric, and then gradually wrap it around the head and around, so you get a little slit for your eyes, which of course protects you from the sand, the blowing sand. As much as possible, it's all transformed into this turbine.

[00:02:31] He then goes over to the wood carver shop, and this is where you see a complex system of tools and chisels that requires three limbs for operations. So that's right. If both of your hands are busy, well, you need to use your feet too. You'll see in the video how the carver deftly holds the chisel between his toes as the wood is spun by one hand, and the other hand is kind of

[00:02:54] underneath, behind his feet. It's maneuvering the angle of the chisel to get it just right. It's a [00:03:00] remarkable sight to see.

[00:03:01] He shows us the intricate carvings and contraptions that don't just look nice, but they're very useful, practical things like tissue boxes and door knockers and jewelry boxes. Lots of board games like backgammon and chess boards, so things you can actually use and enjoy regularly. They don't just kind of sit on your shelf and gathering dust.

[00:03:19] But the key here is if you wanna see what it's really like in the souks, imagine you're there, you're wandering through, people are calling out you in all different directions. Come and see my shop, and so on. So you step in, you're looking around, this is what the experience is like. You get the sales pitch.

[00:03:35] You get the bartering, but you get the valuable information too, and the explanations and Azdean has sourced out craftspeople who are not trying to trick you and sell you something cheap. These are people who really believe in the craft of what they're doing, and they love to explain how they do it, how it works.

[00:03:50] Well, of course there's a negotiation, but it's a negotiation for a fair price for everyone involved, and it goes to a good place. So you'll see all that play out in this [00:04:00] video. The link is at the top of the description for this episode, which will take you straight to our YouTube channel at Destination Morocco.

[00:04:08] It's well worth heading over there for this episode to actually watch what's going on. Meanwhile, we are profiling more and more travelers to Morocco these days. So if you have been to Morocco and you like to share your story, of course it doesn't have to have been on one of destination Morocco tours.

[00:04:25] You could have been an independent traveler doing your own thing. But we want to hear those stories and what your experience was like, the things you discovered, breaking down barriers, stereotypes, expectations, how it actually played out while you were there. Whether you were there just for a weekend or maybe a couple weeks, one corner of the country, or maybe you saw the whole thing, but we'd love to hear your story.

[00:04:47] So you can email azdean@destinationsmorocco.com and we'll be in touch. We'll schedule a recording. Another idea if you have not been to Morocco yet, but you have questions, [00:05:00] we'd love to hear your questions about what it's like, things maybe we haven't answered on the podcast, or perhaps it's been a couple years time for an update.

[00:05:07] So let us know what those questions are, the things you're wondering about, and we can talk about that on the show. You can either send us those questions just in writing or again, you're welcome to come on the show and we'll have a conversation about it even just for a few minutes.

[00:05:21] So feel free to reach out. We love profiling our listeners and hearing more of your thoughts and perspectives about Morocco. One recent episode with Kathy Nesbitt was a good example of that. That was episode 81 on March 15th of this year. She traveled to Morocco in 1989. She hasn't been back since, but that therein lies the wonder in the question. So what was Morocco like back then? It wasn't that long ago, but you know, in 1989 it was long before the internet and cell phones.

[00:05:49] There wasn't a lot of English around at the time. The tourist infrastructure was Very much in its infancy and that's when she traveled to Morocco. So you can hear from her what it was like back [00:06:00] then. And of course Azdean compares it to what Morocco is like nowadays. It is a really neat episode to check out from just a few weeks ago. And a good example again of how we love to give people a platform here on this show. So we look forward to hearing from you. And in the meantime, Enjoy this episode. There's lots of vivid scenes and vibrant colors that will really hook you into Morocco.


[00:06:29] Youssef Rahali: Five of them are still used, except one.[00:07:00] 

[00:07:08] Shop owner: It's by order. 'cause all artisan in Marrakech. Only this I make it for my house, or for me. 

[00:07:14] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _This is your personal collection?_

[00:07:18] Youssef Rahali: She's the second oldest city in Morocco. Founded in the middle of the 11th century. It's more than 600 hectares. Of course we have a residential area, and we have also the souks and the famous square. So, concerning our residential area, so inside each neighborhood of the Medina, we have six buildings.

[00:07:51] Youssef Rahali: Five of them are still used, except one. So we're going to start with number one. Number one [00:08:00] is, of course, the mosque for the daily prayers. In a neighborhood, we can find two, three, up to four small mosques. They are used five times a day. Then we have the main mosque with a minaret, or a tower. Of course, that one is also used five times a day, and Friday, because it's the holiday, at noontime we have the big Friday prayer. Small mosques are closed. People should go to the big one. Number two, it's always near the mosque, there is a Koranic school. _Koranic school, and I can see one from here_. Yes, it's for children.

[00:08:47] Youssef Rahali: It's different from the Madrasa. Because sometimes, some people, they are confused when we say Koranic school: for children, and we have Koranic school for adults. [00:09:00] This is just for the children living in this neighborhood, 10, 12 maximum, boys and girls now. At the age of four or five, they start in the Koranic school.

[00:09:13] Youssef Rahali: Then at the age of six, they go to the regular school. 

[00:09:43] Shop owner: All color is by ochre, it's all artisan in Marrakech. When you buy the wool, you bring it here. Then we order, someday three color, someday for color. Someday one color. And this is the color.

[00:09:59] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _ I see. Oh, these are the _[00:10:00] _colors. _

[00:10:00] Shop owner: I will give explanation. For example, the yellow, yellow color is curcumin. _Curcumin (tumeric)_.

[00:10:07] Shop owner: Like orange, orange is henna. _Orange = henna. Okay._ That one is from the stone of mascara. _Mascara. Okay_. The green one is the print of the mint. _Mint_. We dry it, then after we put like a quarter. 

[00:10:22] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Okay_. 

[00:10:23] Shop owner: This is Nila. This is for blue, clear. _Blue_. And this is the blue indigo.

[00:10:27] Shop owner: _Indigo_. Indigo color. _I see_. And also we have a big one is from the flower of coquelicots (poppy). _Coquelicots_. Wait here, we show you something. _Okay_. This is the expensive pigment. _Okay_. All this pigment is a little cheaper, but the expensive pigment is this one. 

[00:10:43] Shop owner: _Okay, I see. _

[00:10:44] Shop owner: So this is water.

[00:10:54] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Oh wow. Oh wow! That's incredible! _

[00:10:58] Shop owner: This is the real indigo, [00:11:00] and this is the color to work in two days. Today you make it, it seems (like) the color. _I see_. Now I will give you explanation inside. _Okay_. This is the cotton. This is the silk. This is the silk from cactus, with the agave. 

[00:11:13] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Agave cactus. Oh wow. _

[00:11:15] Shop owner: The difficult, this material is too mature, is the same temperature. But when we want to make the wool, we come we open the gas because we have the fire. 

[00:11:25] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _I see. _

[00:11:26] Shop owner: We put the water, then you wait for the temperature coming in 120 degrees. And then yeah, it's boiling. Then you start the pigment. After you put the wool, then the wool stays 40 minutes inside. _Forty minutes._

[00:11:39] Shop owner: 40 minutes inside, but between five minutes, we need to mix it. 

[00:11:44] 

[00:11:44] Shop owner: When you mix the color, we pull out the wool, and we put it in the drum. 

[00:11:49] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _To get dry. _ 

[00:11:53] Shop owner: See, it is a little warm. 

[00:11:55] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Oh it is, it is._ [00:12:00] 

[00:12:00] Shop owner: After, the machine, when you spin it, when you spin it, we take it out on the roof,

[00:12:04] Shop owner: one day, two day. 

[00:12:05] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Okay_. 

[00:12:06] Shop owner: Some days, two day and a half. When you dry, we pack it and we send it to the factory, where you have the women working for rugs, 

[00:12:13] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Yes.__ I see. _

[00:12:14] Shop owner: Blankets. 

[00:12:23] 

[00:12:23] 

[00:12:23] Azdean Elmoustaquim: So we did the wool, we warmed the water.

[00:12:25] Azdean Elmoustaquim: 100-120 degrees. _Yeah_. And we put it for 15 minutes, then we spin it and stir it a little bit. And after that, we put it in the spinning wheel in the machine, and then it gets dry and it stays really, really hot afterwards. And then after that, we just hang it on the outside and dry it.

[00:12:40] Azdean Elmoustaquim: For how many? Two days? 

[00:12:42] Shop owner: Some day, two days. Some day, one day and a half. 

[00:12:45] Azdean Elmoustaquim: A day and a half. Because, you know, Marrakech is really sunny most of the time, and it's hot, so it helps. And then, what happens is all this wool that is hanging now goes to the factory. _Yeah_. You send it to the factory, and then women in the factory, they can make whatever they wanna make [00:13:00] out of it.

[00:13:00] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Like you showed me, like carpet. This is the, this is the final products. Different types of carpet. Okay. Oh wow. Nice. 

[00:13:07] Shop owner: Women work by crochet. 

[00:13:12] 

[00:13:12] Shop owner: This is all wool. 

[00:13:13] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Oh wow. This is really nice. _

[00:13:15] Shop owner: This is all wool. 

[00:13:19] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _ So no stitches? _

[00:13:21] Shop owner: No 

[00:13:21] Azdean Elmoustaquim: No stitches. 

[00:13:23] Shop owner: This one we put it we work it by black soap. 

[00:13:26] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _I see. Yeah, black soap. _

[00:13:40] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Drapes. Yeah. This is really interesting. Yeah. 

[00:13:45] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yes. 

[00:13:50] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Oh, this is so soft! This is wool, and the cotton. [00:14:00] 

[00:14:00] Shop owner: Only cotton. 

[00:14:02] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Oh, I see. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a difference. Yes, yes, yes. You're right. You're right. Oh, this is really good. Look at this. This is incredible. 

[00:14:14] Shop owner: We have this turban. This is the blue indigo. We use it in the Sahara. 

[00:14:21] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _In the Sahara. _

[00:14:22] 

[00:14:22] Shop owner: This is the expensive one I showed you earlier. 

[00:14:26] 

[00:14:26] Shop owner: This is like turban. _Yes, yes._ Of the sand, and of the air. Yes. Because in the Sahara, all tourists wake up early, 4 o'clock in the morning, to go on the side (of the dunes) to see the sun going up. _Yes, the sunrise_. 

[00:14:45] Azdean Elmoustaquim: This is really nice. Yeah. _Very beautiful_. Really good quality. 

[00:14:49] Shop owner: This is a pashmina scarf. 

[00:14:51] Azdean Elmoustaquim: So these are all scarves. _Yeah_. 

[00:14:54] Shop owner: And this is a gandoura, because it is like a cooperative here. It is not a bazaar. [00:15:00] 

[00:15:00] Shop owner: And we have other style like this. 

[00:15:04] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Okay. This looks kind of new to me.

[00:15:06] Azdean Elmoustaquim: I've never seen, this is something kind of trendy. Something new designs. 

[00:15:10] Shop owner: Yeah. Designs is new style. 

[00:15:13] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yeah, it is. Yeah, it looks, yeah. 


[00:15:16] Shop owner: Before, like this one. 

[00:15:18] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Oh, wow_. Oh, this is really nice. Now -hold on. Wait, we gotta show the back. So this is basically, you put the pillow this way and then this way, and then it gives you the complete pillow.

[00:15:28] Azdean Elmoustaquim: And this is the front. You know, the front of the pillow. Which is really, really nice. Now, the new style: this is handmade. Yeah. Okay. Very interesting. So they're all different. I'm gonna try- 

[00:15:48] Shop owner: This is a tunic from the Sahara. 

[00:15:50] Shop owner: No look at me, face to face! 

[00:15:55] Azdean Elmoustaquim: I'm going on a camel ride! Thank [00:16:00] you. Thank you. So this is how you get ready, you set up before you get up on your desert adventure. Normally, a nomad would help you put this on your head. Oh, it feels nice.

[00:16:33] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Oh wow. My head feels tight! But it's pretty cool. 

[00:16:51] Azdean Elmoustaquim: So basically, this will protect me against sandstorms. [00:17:00] Oh my goodness. 

[00:17:03] Shop owner: This is when you go inside, _(in) the desert, yes_. But when you out, you put it like this. 

[00:17:09] Azdean Elmoustaquim: I see. It looks really nice. Wow. This is impressive.

[00:17:19] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Yeah. Yeah. It's really nice. Yeah. Yeah, of course. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you so much. This is incredible. 

[00:17:26] Shop owner: You're welcome. 

[00:17:27] Azdean Elmoustaquim: So anything else you have you wanna say or you wanna share with the audience, please? 

[00:17:31] Shop owner: Yes. 

[00:17:32] Azdean Elmoustaquim: What else would you like to share with the audience?

[00:17:34] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Because everything that I see is pretty much kind of handmade. 

[00:17:37] Shop owner: Yeah. Because you know, here is the cooperative. 

[00:17:40] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Cooperative_. It's not in the shops in the square. It's why 

[00:17:43] Shop owner: everything here is natural. Maybe in the square we find something like that, but it's not a real one. _Yes_. Where you watch it be true. 

[00:17:52] Shop owner: But here we make original things. 

[00:17:54] Azdean Elmoustaquim: The question that I have is, how can people tell the difference between something that is natural and it's real, versus [00:18:00] something that is not, and it's fake. 

[00:18:02] Shop owner: You know, the people who are coming, when you, we touch something, we feel it. 

[00:18:06] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Oh, you do. But the tourists have no idea the difference.

[00:18:09] Shop owner: Some tourists, they have an idea, but we have the idea. 

[00:18:12] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Okay. Okay. _ 

[00:18:14] Shop owner: Me, in this place, always I give the explanation to tourists. Yes. How they can tell. Yeah. How, how can you find something good? How, if you want to buy something original, how do we know? But the shop is not the same.

[00:18:29] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Oh, definitely is not_. _I know. _

[00:18:31] Shop owner: You have the other shop, "We need only sale. We don't care." Don't worry for the tourists. "We only take money." 

[00:18:37] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _I know. _

[00:18:38] Azdean Elmoustaquim: We have some other place, when you want to sell something, we like to make business with tourist, and we'll give him good quality. _Yes_. 

[00:18:45] I'm familiar with this. This is amazing. 

[00:18:48] Shop owner: This is incredible. 

[00:18:49] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Anything you want to say to the audience? Any last words to the audience? 

[00:18:54] Shop owner: I will tell something for the people who listen, it's better to be like that, because when [00:19:00] we listen, you can get what you want. 

[00:19:02] Azdean Elmoustaquim: _Yeah_. 

[00:19:03] Shop owner: That's why I will tell (them), and may God bless you all,

[00:19:06] Shop owner: and you are welcome here in Marrakech, my brother. 

[00:19:08] Azdean Elmoustaquim: Thank you. Thank you so much. This concludes our visit today. Thank you so much. Really, really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. 

[00:19:14] Shop owner: Nice to meet you.


[00:19:45] Shop owner 2: Find key. Something like this. Key. That one key. That's key. Let's finish, and push it. Two hands, [00:20:00] one piece. 1, 2, 3, 4 in the middle: secret box. Oh wow. 


[00:20:09] Shop owner 2: This one, the wood separates. The wood separates. This one, I make it boxes, something like this. This one, this for when the snake wood. _Oh, I see._


[00:20:25] Shop owner 2: I make it just once. Magic box, see, open like this, make it two pointed. _I see, so you push_. These opposite corners. Yeah, two corners. I have small, I have big. Welcome to my shop. Only this, I make it for my house, or for me! This is your personal collection! This one, I make it coasters, or glass. _Coasters._

[00:20:50] Shop owner 2: _Oh, nice, nice. _Just one piece of wood. _One piece of wood_. One piece of wood. I make this one for a picture frame. Dominoes. [00:21:00] Dice. This one, for what? Business cards? No. For TV control. 


[00:21:08] Shop owner 2: This one for jewelry box. Like this. Oh wow. That's pretty neat. You get this one. That's pretty neat.

[00:21:18] Shop owner 2: Go like this: push it this way. This, push this, and put it this way.

[00:21:26] Shop owner 2: This one. _That's very tricky._ I wanna make it this and make it small. 


[00:21:36] Shop owner 2: I make this one, this for two. _Oh wow_. That's one, one piece of wood. _That's nice._ This is the hand of Fatima. This one is for glass of car, or for house. I make solitaire (game), 

[00:21:48] Shop owner 2: I make chess. Chess pieces. Some magic. _Ooh, nice_. Make it pieces [00:22:00] inside. _Mm-hmm._ This is lemon & cedar wood. How much time does it take to make something like this? So basically, it takes two to three days. _Yeah_. To make this box. And it's two different pieces. _Yes_. So lemon and mahogany. _Mahogany_. I make a big backgammon/chess. This one from mother-of-pearl. This one, olive. Olive wood. Olive. _This is beautiful_. Thank you. And then of course, the soccer. Yeah, the soccer balls. This one is not heavy. This one is mahogany. This is spruce. This is lemon & mahogany. 


[00:22:54] Shop owner 2: I make this for backgammon. This one is for the sun. [00:23:00] Oh! It's from one piece of wood. It's olive.

[00:23:05] Shop owner 2: Thank you.

[00:23:21] Shop owner 2: I make a lute. This is one how you can see that. It's one piece of wood. Yeah. _One piece of wood. _ I make a guitar. Correction. This one for scent for my house. Yes. For house, smell the wood. Cedarwood. Cedarwood.

[00:23:48] Shop owner 2: I make boxes for tissues._ I see._ This olive. How much wood would a box like this [00:24:00] be? This one, two boxes. One device to make it. Black & Decker. This is one piece of wood.


[00:24:15] Shop owner 2: And how much something like this would cost, please? Please? This one, 200 dirham.

[00:24:19] Shop owner 2: 200 dirham. Equivalent to about 20 bucks (USD).

[00:24:22] Azdean Elmoustaquim: This is incredible. So if people want to come shop with you, how can they find you? _Inshallah_. _Inshallah_. Can we have your business card? Can we have your information just in case? If somebody wants to stop by. Here is my card.[00:25:00] 

[00:25:02] Azdean Elmoustaquim: This has been fun and I really, really appreciate it, and thank you so much. Thank you for time.