When she isn't trying to open a hotel or being a professional shopper, Maryam Montague blogs about life in Morocco. We can't think of a better guide to this bewitching—but often rather bewildering—city.
I'm an American, but for my whole life I've been a nomad. It started in Cairo, where I was born. (My dad, a New Yorker, was on assignment in Egypt.) My travels have continued through more than 70 countries--Cambodia to Colombia, Iran to Italy, Namibia to Nepal--and my work as a specialist in human rights and democracy means the list keeps growing.
Every place I've visited has been compelling in its own way, but I never found a city that made me want to settle down until I came to Marrakech. Its appeal comes from so much more than the snake charmers, the fortune-tellers, and the souks--though they help, too. The hospitable people, the delicious food, the mysterious architecture, and the fascinating Moroccan culture all add up to make Marrakech a city like no other. Borrowing the words of little Goldilocks, Marrakech felt "just right" somehow.
• Marrakech Uncut
So two years ago, my husband (an American architect), our two children, and I traded in our nomadic existence for a nine-acre olive grove on the outskirts of Marrakech. We then set out to open The Peacock Nest, an online shop selling beautiful Moroccan things, and to design and build a stylish, ecofriendly boutique hotel called Peacock Pavilions (peacockpavilions.com); both are named after the peacocks that roam the property. If all goes to plan, the 10-room hotel will be ready by July.
Somewhere along the way, I decided to start writing a blog, My Marrakesh (mymarrakesh.com), a great big love letter to my new home. I enjoy sharing my passion for Marrakech with anyone who will pay attention. And they do: I'm not exactly sure why, but thousands of people read My Marrakesh every day. Either my mother is paying them all--she always wanted me to be popular in high school--or people are genuinely interested in the enchanting city that I'm lucky enough to call home.
Wait, is it Marrakech or Marrakesh?
BT's style is to follow Webster's Geographical Dictionary for place-names, so we spell it Marrakech. Montague, however, calls her blog My Marrakesh because that spelling is closer to the way the city's name is pronounced.
