Babouches are Moroccan
slippers, handmade from local
leather, although increasingly
the babouches found in the
souks are made of a synthetic
plastic that only looks like
leather. In their most basic form
they are pointy-toed and come
in a variety of colours – canary
yellow being the most
common – but are otherwise
plain. However, lots of
boutiques and shops
customize their babouches
with silk trim, or
even carving the leather
with exquisite designs.
Argan oil
Argan oil is an almost
mystical substance to
which all kinds of
properties are attributed . Part of its
mystique can be credited to the
rarity of argan trees, which only
grow in southwestern Morocco.
The oil is sold all over the souks
but much of it is low grade. For
quality oil, it’s best to buy from a
reputable dealer.
Carpets
Marrakech is famed for its
carpets, made by the tribes of
the south. Each tribe has its
own patterns. Beware the
salesmen’s patter. Some
carpets are very old and
made of genuine cactus silk
but these are rare. Most
sold today, though
beautiful, are quite
modern and made from
non-natural fibres. Buy a
carpet if you like it, and
not because you have
been told that it’s a
good investment.
Pottery
Each region of
Morocco produces its
own distinctive pottery. The local
style is plain terracotta finished
with colourful glazes. Ceramics
from the Akkal factory would not
look out of place in a cutting
edge design shop. Or visit the
big pottery souk outside Bab
Ghemat which is to the southeast
of the medina.
Lanterns
There are two types of
lanterns: those that hang from
the ceiling and those that sit on
the floor. The former (known as
fanous) are typically fashioned
from metal and come in
elaborate shapes with intricate decoration. The latter are made
of skin and goats’ hair and are
usually colourful. Look for them
in the northern part of the
souk or down at the Place
des Ferblantiers.
Leather bags
Marrakech is known
for its leather. It is made
by treating animal hides by
hand in the tanneries in the east of the
medina which are then
dyed. Unsurprisingly, the
shops of the souk are filled with
leather goods from purses to
handbags to book bindings. Do
plenty of window shopping
before settling on an item.
Candles
Candles are used to great
effect in local restaurants. They
are sold in all shapes, colours
and sizes in the souk, and some
of the designs can be
highly inventive. Some
of the best are made
by a small company
called Amira (www.
amirabougies.com)
and you can buy them
in various boutiques.
Jewellery
The local Berber
jewellery is silver,
chunky and heavy.
However, a number of
artisans in Marrakech,
both local and foreign, produce
more modern designs. Look out
for Joanna Bristow’s brilliant designs
in select hotel boutiques
such as La Maison
Arabe .
Fashion
Marrakech may have
inspired countless
foreign couturiers from
Yves Saint-Laurent to Tom
Ford. However, it’s only
recently that the city has
begun to develop a fashion
of its own. There are some
young Moroccan designers
producing beautiful clothing, like
the high profile brothers behind
the boutique Beldi ,
whose collections made from
local fabric are tailored to
Western sensibilities.
Marra-Kitsch
A recent trend amongst local
designers involves taking the
iconography of Marrakech and
giving it a Pop-ish twist. Florence
Tarrane of Kulchi does
shoulder bags that feature the
khamsa (five-fingered hand), the
good-luck symbol of the Arab
world. Hassan Hajjaj makes
fanous from sheets of tin printed
with advertising logos, sold at
his riad (see www.riadyima.com).
