Marrakech OASIS FESTIVAL 2016

When you think of Morocco, the first things that will spring up are probably the classic and romantic connotations from popular fiction like Casablanca and Lawrence Of Arabia (not set in Morocco but you get where I’m going at). What nobody expects in this Northern-African, is a quality dance music festival in a luxurious surrounding with reigning artists like Dixon, The Black Madonna & Tale of Us.

So there, in the middle of the desert, just south of the state’s capital of Marrakech, laid Oasis Festival. The festival’s second edition had a change of location and was moved to “The Source”, a luxury resort consisting of picturesque Berber-like buildings functioning as hotel rooms. The idea behind Oasis Festival was to organize an event with international as well as settled local DJ’s to show the potential of a now rapidly growing Moroccan scene. This year alone, two new dance festivals popped up in the wake of Oasis succesful debut edition in 2015, in the form of Atlasand Moga Festival. Other than that, people like the internationally booked Moroccan DJ Amine K are influential spokespeople for their home country when traveling to dance music hubs like Amsterdam, Berlin or Ibiza.

Marrakech brings An Ode to Sahara 2

From Marrakech, the 70-km climb to the Tiz n Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains is a clutch-grinding series of switchbacks offering fantastic views. The first stop is a wind-blasted pass poised somewhere between the two worlds of the High Atlas Mountains and the sub-Sahara. We head towards the Dades, Draa and Ziz Valleys, blessed in this arid land with life-giving rivers. They are indescribably beautiful, lined with palmeraies, ancient kasbahs (defensive forts constructed of red baked clay) and towns that have changed little in centuries. Historically, tribal feuding and banditry were a way of life for the Berbers of the region, and as a result, hundreds of kasbahs were built throughout these valleys.

Mamounia Marrakech in 10 words

One of the world’s great old hotels, since opening in 1923 the Mamounia has been welcoming the rich and famous to Marrakech; Winston Churchill was one of the most celebrated guests to have frequented this hotel.
It was originally built in the 19th century as the palace of the crown prince of Morocco but under French rule the building was annexed for use as a hotel. Since independence the property passed into royal hands and is now owned by the king.

Dar Cherifa literary café

Brought back to life by top craftsmen, the oldest house in the Medina has become a unique type of cultural centre.

"This is a beautiful, welcoming house, a wonderful place that breathes culture. Thanks to its considerate hosts, the original concept of literary café means that you can experience art in its true form. Painting exhibitions, sculptures and evening concerts: I was able to cross paths with poets, calligraphers, potters and even colourists eager to share their art, usually around a glass of mint tea or a tasty meal.

From Marrakech In To the Sahara

THE EMFRY ROAD turns into a track that peters out into desert floor, with holes here and there - mice? snakes? - and even in February the sun is intense. The land stretches out in all directions, shimmering to an uncertain horizon. From out of the heat haze materialises a figure, indistinct as a mirage. The figure takes shape: a young woman, incongruous in jeans and T-shirt, walking out of nothing, two wolf-like creatures circling her.