08 MAY 2017. DAY 2.- PART THREE - MARRAKESH.MOROCCO.
This is the screen shot of Marrakesh Map.
It shows places we saw yesterday & ones we will see today.
To see interactive map go to https://goo.gl/fxaMBb. How to navigate through interactive map has been explained earlier.
After we had completed tour of Koutoubia Mosque. We boarded the coach and were taken to see the Bahia Palace. We were dropped near Jardin Sidi Hmed El Kamel.
Jardin Sidi Hmed El Kamel or Zaharada Park is a Square ,lined with palm trees . All around the square there are shops selling metal handicraft and other gift ,souniver items .
We had to walk through this Square to go to Bahia Palace,thourgh a crowded and bustling humanity with lot of interesting sights.
Jardin Sidi Hmed El Kamel or Zaharada Park Square.
Top 2 photos.Interesting sights on way to Bahia Palace .
Gate through which we entered Bahia Palace. Must have been one of the many entrances to the Palace.
We had to walk through Jardin Sidi Hmed El Kamel or Zaharada Park to go to Bahia Palace,thourgh a crowded and bustling humanity with lot of interesting sights.
Jardin Sidi Hmed El Kamel or Zaharada Park Square.
Top 2 photos.Interesting sights on way to Bahia Palace .
After a short walk through this steet we reached Gate of Bahia Palace. Must have been one of the many gates for entering the Bahia Palace.
Gate through which we entered Bahia Palace. Must have been one of the many entrances to the Palace.
Bahia Palace is surrounded by huge gardens. It is full of fruit trees,flowering trees,flowering plants and big shade trees. The garden is spread over more than eight-hectare garden where visitors can literally lose themselves in the beauty of the place.Once you have reached the gate you have to walk along the garden path, quite a distance before you reach the Palace proper.
Walk along garden path amid flowering trees.
So after meandering through the garden path we finally reached the Palace Proper.
BAHIA PALACE
There are 160 different rooms in the palace,It is said that the size of the room occupied by particular wife indicated to what degree she was favourite of the Sultan !
The rooms are interspersed with reception halls. Private quarters are lavishly decorated and there are several tiled courts , often complete with water features like fountains etc. that serve as open air areas where the women could have washed and rested themselves.
All construction & buildings sprawled out in an open, rambling fashion.
Decorations of the rooms, verandahas,etc take the form of subtle stucco panels, zellij decorations,(or zelige is tilework made from individually chiseled geometric tiles set into a plaster base. It consists of geometrically patterned mosaics, used to ornament walls, ceilings, fountains, floors, pools and tables). tiled floors, smooth arches, carved-cedar ceilings, shiny marble (tadlak:traditional Moroccan plaster technique), finishes and zouak(painted woodwork) ceilings.
The courtyard was the last place to be seen in Bahia Palace .
Crdar carved zouk cielings.
The tadak walls and cielings.
Engraved latticed marble panel on veranda walls,
The Arches,beautifully designed ,carved and painted cedar
wood lentils on arches & veranda columns.
Progress through this rambling and spread
out Palace is from one veranda to reception room with decorated walls, carved
colourful cedar wood ceiling to a room with better decorated walls, better
decorated then the Reception room, presumably, of one of the wives, from there,
exit through another door to veranda again with decorated walls and ceilings,
to a common garden through richly decorated arches.
In fact once you have entered the
palace, every veranda, every room, every arch, every ceiling is intricately
carved, decorated, colourful, painted and are things of arresting beauty.
Typical Palace room. Intricate tilework made from individually chiselled geometric tiles set into a plaster base.on lower walls.Mirrors on all walls.
Do not miss out miooor reflection of painted woodwork panels and
carved & painted ceiling.
Yet another room.Marble panels with religious engravings,beautifully panted and engraved marble panels, famous painted wood work and wonderful cedar ceilings.
One of the many Arched door.Intricate tilework made from individually chiselled geometric tiles set into a plaster base, latticed marble panels, arches in balcony, you name it ,it is there.
Thus you progress from one beautifully
decorated room to varandah,through arches to another room, so on so forth finally
reaching the best place, the inner intricately designed and paved beautiful
courtyard which is fairly large with fountains. This courtyard is bounded on
all sides by arched verandah. I remember this courtyard from Tom Cruise movie “Knight
and Day” which I had seen recently. It is said that Bahia Palace, including
this courtyard has featured in quite a few Hollywood movies.
This covered veranda goes all around the Courtyad.
The famous Bahia Palace rear Courtyard.
The courtyard was the last place to be seen in Bahia Palace .
During return journey from courtyard again it was feast for the eyes.Through different rooms this time.
To see all the photos of Day 2 ,8 May 2017 go here.
To see all the photos of Day 2 ,8 May 2017 go here.
(Photos .https://goo.gl/photos/
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