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CNNGO in Marrakech: Souks and Moroccan Pancakes
Aired July 09, 2014 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Marrakech is a city of contrasts. You have modern (ph) and you have medina (ph), the traditional, the
classic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Marrakech is a beautiful city and it has everything for anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): I would describe it as sensory overload. It's crazy. It's chaotic. It's fun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): People call. People (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE) means happiness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): The Marrakechi (ph) people are always happy because the sun, it is always shining.
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ABDELLATIF BENHRIMA, GUIDE (voice-over): So we're actually in the famous souks of Marrakech and the sense of Marrakech involves something
like if we treat it as 5,000 small shops. But they're actually centered on the top of grass.
In a way, I actually grew up here because during my (INAUDIBLE) days, I used to come here to work, making bags, slippers and everything in the
leather section. (INAUDIBLE). I know the souks and all the streets of the souks. I know -- I would never get lost in here.
This is the area where they make all sorts of slippers, sandals and shoes. (INAUDIBLE). When you saw something like start very young, by the
age of 15, 20 you know how to make a slipper.
And of course you can hear that we are in different sections. This is a little section called Souk el Haddadine. And most of the items that you
see up to here, it's actually a rich part of. What amazes me is the space where these people work. When we look at the size of the space, and they
come out with some beautiful stuff, like all sorts of locks. Making a lock, handmade lock, that the key. And you can look at -- and they make
all sorts of things, (INAUDIBLE) items. (INAUDIBLE).
(Speaking foreign language).
BENHRIMA (voice-over): So this is a job that's actually passed from father to son. So you definitely learn it from his father and he's been
doing it for 40 years. But he had four grandfathers who actually did exactly the same thing. And now he's passing it on to his sons.
I don't think the souk market will ever, ever change, because it's a way of life. A lot of people, a lot of people depend on the souks.
So here we are. We are at the Herboriste Du Paradis. This is one of the places that I actually visit. But most of them are (INAUDIBLE) as well
as tourists. Here they have something like 350 produces, including spices, herbs and also things that to aid healing, to do with white magic, black
magic.
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BENHRIMA (voice-over): And this is a flower from a shrub that grows in the middle of the Sahara and people use it for -- as a toothpick. You
have roses; Morocco is very well known with roses. You use them for the smell but also a lot of women use it for their hair.
This is another type of mint which is very good they say for blood circulation.
So you have all different herbs, spices and everything, but also you have some very unusual things as well. And that shows so much the African
influence in Morocco because, you know, Morocco is part of the slave trade.
And here, for instance, you have chameleons, dried chameleons. And you have snakeskin and you have leeches.
(Speaking foreign language).
BENHRIMA (voice-over): People actually study herbs, spices and everything and they -- the healing qualities that the herbs have. So you
have to know what you're doing.
The pharmacy or herbalist like this place where we are now is actually the ideal place to actually understand the way of life is in the
(INAUDIBLE) of Marrakech. I would say about 60-70 percent of the people who live in medina worked, automatically think about herbs and the healing
more than they would think about the doctor and so on.
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MARYAM MONTAGUE, WRITER AND HOTELIER (voice-over): Hi. I'm Maryam Montague and I want to show you a little bit of my city, my Marrakech.
So we're right in the Jemaa el Fna, which is really the main square and the heart of this city. And it's not just for tourists. It's for
everyone. Most Marrakechis actually come. And this is where they spend their Friday and Saturday nights.
So it's such a fun and vibrant place.
The city of Marrakech now has been here for 1,000 years. It was created by the cousin of the kings. And he wanted to create something that
was just at the crossroads and I think he succeeded. For 200 years, this was actually the imperial city of the whole country.
Another one of the amazing things about the Jemaa el Fna square is -- are the snake charmers.
Snake charmers have been here for centuries and many of them come from a long line of charmers. Now they believe that they're actually protected
with divine blessings called saraka (ph) and that's what allows them to charm the snakes without getting bitten.
Behind these closed doors is one of my absolute favorite shops. It's a hidden gem and it's called Mustapha Blaoui's. Come and have a look.
This shop is an absolute institution in the city. Now it's hard to find because there's no sign on the door. But every Marrakech insider
knows about this shop. There's three floors and it just goes on and on with great stuff.
I love to come here and look at carpets. You can see he's got a big collection. You never know what might be in here.
This looks like an Aitya Kub, which is one of the Berber regions and these diamond shapes are reflective of the eye and having these on your
carpet will actually protect you from the evil eye. Moroccans are very scared of that.
Moroccan design is a great combination of inky, saturated colors, intricate patterns and really artistic and architectural shapes. This is
all about Moroccan handicrafts in the original sense of the word, which is made by hand.
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MONTAGUE (voice-over): Marrakech is known really as the gateway to the Atlas Mountains and you can see they're magnificent.
We're just about 20 kilometers from the city and we're floating at about 3,000 feet up from the ground. And you can see it's so peaceful and
tranquil here. An amazing contrast to Marrakech itself. In just a matter of a couple of hours, we'll really come along.
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MOHA FEDAL, CHEF (voice-over): Hi. My name is Moha. We are in Dhar Moha. I am Chef Moha. I go, we go to show you my city, Marrakech.
(Speaking foreign language).
FEDAL (voice-over): Sometimes you have all the family on the bike, the father, the mother and the son, something other one holds baby. That's
like here.
(LAUGHTER)
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FEDAL (voice-over): This market is mela (ph), is a Jewish market. It's the best one that we have in Marrakech. It's old and the people are
friendly and they think it's -- and they know it's me. They are my friends because I see him every day.
Indeed, for a gift. I am lucky. I am here for buy fish. This one, look at, take a look. It's a really beautiful and it's sea bass that's for
me is the best fish that we have.
I like to come here because take a look. I love to see that all what I buy.
You know, if it's fresh, you have to take -- to -- it's fresh. (INAUDIBLE) is not fresh. I will ask him if he can't do the same with this
one.
(Speaking foreign language).
(LAUGHTER)
FEDAL (voice-over): (Speaking foreign language).
It's red. It's fresh. Take a look. Look, beautiful, really beautiful. The taste of, for example, tomatoes here in market, it's not
like New York or London or Paris. If you have a good ingredient, good cook, you have a good result. Very good.
(Speaking foreign language).
Of -- it's a sport, national sport. It's negotiate. He says 90 jirhans (ph) and I said 70. But I know that we will have it in 80.
(Speaking foreign language).
I come here to buy my spices. They have something like 300 kind of different kind of spices. But normally I use only 16-20, not more because
if you do many spices, you cannot remember what you do.
You need ginger, paprika. It's really the (INAUDIBLE). The cumin, (INAUDIBLE). Take a look. It's really expensive, you know. We have red
gauze (ph), you say that here. It's to saffron. Saffron is a flower and they cut it early in the morning, three, two days or four days, not more in
the year. That's why it is really expensive. Saffron. Not forget it.
(Speaking foreign language).
FEDAL (voice-over): We are here in the Blad (ph) Hotel. It's guest house. I plant my first tree 16 years ago. And now it's my baby and it's
only four kilometers from Marrakech. Now hurry go to cook something for you.
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FEDAL (voice-over): Today we are making tagine of sea bass. Tagine is this plate. OK. We start. First, we take beans, carrots, zucchini.
You put all that here. The secret of tagine is slow cook. The heat go up and he go down. He cooked slowly, slowly, slowly.
Hurry go now to cook fish. Sea bass, some flour, little oil and you smell the flavors. You have that only in Marrakech.
One minute more and it's pretty. For me, Moroccan food. It's one of three best kitchen of the world. And now our tagine is ready. Mmm.
Delicious, delicious.
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BENHRIMA (voice-over): So here we are. We are in Ourika Valley and the valley is only about one hour from Marrakech. And when you come here,
you're completely away from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech.
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BENHRIMA (voice-over): And as you can see, it's very green, very lush because there's actually a river. There's a river that crosses the --
going through the valley and not very far from the mountains. And I love coming here but my favorite place is this place here called Bab Ourika.
It's a guest house. And let's go and have some mint tea there.
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BENHRIMA (voice-over): So Caspa (ph) is more like a fort (INAUDIBLE) castle. And it's -- the location of Caspa is very important. So it's
always located high. And this fortress is going back to the trading when there was a lot of trade coming from the south of Morocco. Marrakech was
one of the main trade centers.
And a lot of people come here to get away from Marrakech and they come here for the tranquility of the place and very peaceful, very beautiful,
and I like just coming here sometimes have lunch, sometimes just come for tea.
When you look around and you see the mountains and the views are stunning.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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TWO TONE, RAP ARTIST (voice-over): Welcome to Marrakech. It's Two Tone at the (INAUDIBLE). Let me show you and maybe you will understand why
I'm loving this city. Yes, I'm loving the (INAUDIBLE). Let me take you to (INAUDIBLE). Man, I'm loving this life. It's the only city I know that
has a desert and snow. Now sit back, relax, enjoy the show. Let's go.
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TONE (voice-over): We are at the scented lady (ph). This is one of my favorite dishes in Morocco. It's called msemmen. It's like a pancake.
You eat it in the morning with tea or coffee. And I just love it. My mother used to make it for me and it gives me the typical Moroccan feeling.
You can have it with honey or, you know, just plain. Nobody can make it like the ones in Morocco, though. That's why I love it.
(INAUDIBLE).
TONE (voice-over): Morocco has a big influence on everything I do and what I wanted to do is to take Moroccan elements, put it in my music. To
just still represent Morocco as an artist, it gives me an energy boost and it gives me inspiration. So right now we're in Palmeraie and Palmeraie
basically got its name because of all of the palm trees that you find here. It's like 10 minutes away from the medina. I usually look for a place
where they have like a swimming pool. And in Palmeraie, the new part of Marrakech, you can find a lot of nice places with swimming pools and
lounges.
Right about now I'm going to take you to one of the most famous clubs in Marrakech. It's called Nikki Beach (ph), and I love it.
We're in Nikki Beach right now. As you can see, there's great swimming pools. We can have a drink. You can lounge. It's beautiful.
Over there, you can see mountains. There's a great view. I love coming here because it's just a great place to relax.
How are you? Are you OK?
We like to come out here to have lunch, have some drinks with my friends and just enjoy Marrakech. Live the good life.
When people talk about Marrakech, they always talk about the old medina and stuff but you know, I just wanted to show this. This is the
young side, the hip side of Marrakech.
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LAILA HIDA, PHOTOGRAPHER (voice-over): I am Laila Hida, photographer.
ARTSI IFRACH, FASHION DESIGNER (voice-over): I am Artsi Ifrach. I'm a designer.
HIDA (voice-over): And we're going to show you our Marrakech.
IFRACH (voice-over): We are in Cafe des (INAUDIBLE) for me and I think for Laila also it's our office, our public office.
HIDA (voice-over): They open this place maybe 10 years ago. It started very quickly because then they realized that we need to make nice
places like this for the tourists, for the locals. It's very simple, that then people like it. It became quite a institution in Marrakech.
IFRACH (voice-over): And it's an item because from everywhere you come from the medina, you are eventually come to this place.
And just to be here with the tranquility of the people and me having my coffee it seems it's -- you know, to start the day like this, it's
fantastic.
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IFRACH (voice-over): We are in the woman market. And everything actually here is -- it's like vintage in a way.
HIDA (voice-over): It's a flea market.
IFRACH (voice-over): It's a flea market, yes. But only with for women.
HIDA (voice-over): But it's a small one that's very interesting. They work together because it's easier for them to be women together, you
know. In markets, women and men don't mix that much.
IFRACH (voice-over): You can buy old caftans. You can buy old people. You can buy -- I'm very much inspired because most of my work is
about vintage. You can really find things that you can actually work with and they have some kind of an -- you know, some kind of an history and the
women are great. And the more they know you, they will find things for you.
And this is, for example, an -- a very old caftan. But I love it because the fabric is very old and the quality is better than today, for
example. It's not in (INAUDIBLE) because of (INAUDIBLE) which is -- but it's a beautiful piece.
And where you can see a place like this? Almost nowhere.
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HIDA (voice-over): It's 7 o'clock in Marrakech. We're heading to Riad (INAUDIBLE), which is a very special art space here in the medina in
Marrakech.
In this place, we really love to gather all the creativity of Morocco's writers, painters, musicians and sometimes make them perform
together and that makes this very special.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
HIDA (voice-over): I didn't know actually what was the artisan market until I opened this place and I realized that there is so much energy and
so much creativity in the city. It showed me that it's moving, it's changing. It's (INAUDIBLE).
IFRACH (voice-over): It's growing very quick and very fast and somehow people also have the courage to have new ideas and actually to make
them. It's wonderful for the medina. It's wonderful for Marrakech.
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IFRACH (voice-over): It is important to step out of Marrakech. If you don't go out also you don't understand the power of the city. It's
like our relationship. For me, Marrakech is my girlfriend because I need to leave her to understand that I love her.
HIDA (voice-over): I don't think that it's -- I choose Marrakech actually. It -- Marrakech choose me.
BENHRIMA (voice-over): Marrakech is a different city than what it was when I was born. It's really happier.
FEDAL (voice-over): The best (INAUDIBLE) because I travel a lot of the world. But my city is the best.
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