What’s incredible about Morocco (that perhaps people don’t realize) is that the stunning mosaics and expertly carved wall accents you find in many Riads aren’t just reserved for upper-class homes or tourist-y hotels. These incredibly detailed artworks cover the surfaces of everyday homes that people have lived in for millennia. Most homes, which look humble […]
The word “Caleche” may not be familiar to you, if you’ve never spent a week or two in Morocco before. The word itself is a french, feminine noun which found it’s way to Morocco during the French Colonisation in the 1950’s. The term Caleche is now a commonly used name for what is formally known […]
Morocco is a country with a rich and diverse history spanning several millennia. In it’s lifetime, Morocco has been home to an extensive variety of demographics; beginning with the indigenous Berber people in the first millennium BC, and continuing with colonisation and invasions by the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Arabs, Moors(Spanish) & French. With each […]
The end of 2017 brought us a sequel to the award winning Planet Earth; and along with this visually stunning nature series came a general mass-awakening to the human responsibility of preserving the planet we live upon. A hot political topic in January 2018 has been the damaging effects of plastic waste on the ecology […]
Guedra represents several aspects of a form of dance which is particular to Southern Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria. The primary meaning of Guedra is cooking pot, when this pot is covered with a stretched leather skin to create a drum, the drum is also known as Guedra. When the drummer plays a beat representing a […]
Ahwash dancing is from the areas around Ouarzazatte and the High Atlas mountains. Women in colourful dress stand motionless around a group of men who are in turn sitting around a fire. The men each have “bendir’s (simple wood and skin frame drums) A piercing cry breaks the silence, and the performance begins. The men […]
Josephine Baker stayed in Casablanca for medical treatment following a prolonged illness. During her time in hospital in Casablanca she was visited regularly by the Pacha of Marrakech; Thami El Glaoui. Their close relationship was well known, and it was also rumoured that she had miscarried his child, leading to her illness and spell in hospital. […]
Lonely Planet and the Daily Express have voted Morocco as a perfect destination for the month of May. Their Darling buds of May selections urges travellers to visit in the spring. The Kingdom of Morocco made it to the listing thanks to its “ideal temperature”, marvelous landscapes and flower festival. Marrakech hovers in the high 20°C […]
Marrakech is a sensory delight, the city is well known for seducing it’s visitors with vivid colours, an exotic soundscape with calls to prayer, street musicians and the sounds of life within the medina and of course the tastes of exotic spices and local delicacies. One cannot fail to notice the daily rituals around food and […]
It’s always helpful to have some local info for your holidays, so here are a few top tips to make your stay in Marrakech simple. I have been travelling in Morocco for over 16 years, and here are a few very easy things which I always do which make my trip more comfortable. Bring the name and address of […]
Transport yourself back to 1920’s Paris. Jazz music and the carefree style of dance which accompanied it were a boon in the French capital. Black musicians and performers arrived on the fashionable club scene and the Parisians loved them. It was this wave of acceptance and love of the genre that allowed Josephine Baker to […]
Marrakech has much to offer for everyone. If you plan a relaxed break with your partner or a super-summer family holiday, rest assured that Marrakech will surprise you. The best way to experience Marrakesh hospitality is by staying in a riad, fabulous boutique hotels spread across the Medina. Here are a few tips and tricks […]
Walking down the street of Souikat market in the North West of the Marrakech Medina you see two men pulling an unwilling full sized ram towards you, it passes and you think nothing of it. An hour later, in the distance pipes and drums begin to play which gradually crescendo and from a distance you […]
The arabic word Rais usually means ships captain, the berber language has borrowed this word to describe the leader of a group, like this one, that play with the traditional Ribab instrument. Recorded live in the Jemma al Fnaa square Marrakech at the time of the Marrakech Film festival 2011, note the giant outdoor screen […]
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Hassan the young wood turner works on a street corner near to the Ben Yussef Mosque in Central Marrakech just a few hundred yards from Riad Cinnmaon. His traditional North African lathe is powered by his right hand while his left hand and feet control his tools, this is in contrast to a European pole […]
We are grateful to our guests at our Riad hotels who have been wonderfully supportive recommending us to family and friends. With so few rooms at each Riad we have, more often than we would have liked, had to explain that we were fully booked for returning guests preferred dates. It seems our Marrakech Riads are not […]
Here at Riads Cinnamon and Papillon we buy as much as possible of our food from local suppliers. We shop daily visiting our regular stall and shop owners. Their personal relationships directly back to the farmer mean that we know where our food has been right from the minute that it has been picked till […]
The donkey and cart is a common sight in the medina of Marrakech where the streets are too narrow for truck and vans. These docile and dependable creatures, known as ‘brill’ in arabic are essential to everyday life. A Riad hotel in the Medina is the perfect base from which to explore and experience this […]
There are an amazing variety of goods for sale in the Marrakech Souks, take your time to browse and you will find glazed pottery to fit any colour scheme! Our Riads in the Medina provide the perfect base for your holiday or short break in Magical Marrakech. Make contact today.