Continental Hotspot

Morocco is an absolutely amazing country that I can highly recommend visiting if you’ve never been there before. It has many sights worth seeing such as the blue houses of Chefchaouen, the film studios in Ouarzazate, the Todra valley, the kasbah in Aït Benhaddou, or the quaint fishing harbours in Agadir and Essaouira. The desert oases among the sand dunes of Merzouga are truly unforgettable. But ultimately most people go to the four imperial cities Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes and Rabat of which Marrakesh is the most famous. And if you do, you are going to end up at the tanneries, whether you want to or not.

There are many sights in Marrakesh you will want to see when you are there (the Ben Youssef Madrasa, Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, hundreds of little shops, Djemena el Fna square, etc.). Unfortunately the medina of Marrakesh is very hard to navigate. The streets are narrow, haphazard and barely marked. Maps are useless. The only way to navigate is using Google Maps and GPS but even that only works in the areas that aren’t covered or surrounded by high houses. You will get lost trying to get to these highlights.

At that point you’ll be tempted to ask one of the loitering locals for directions. This is when the abuse starts.

At first the kid you approached for help will seem very friendly but that fades as you are led further and further from your goal and towards the tanneries (they may end up taking you to your goal after, but only they get paid). By the time you reach the tanneries they are really quite pushy and intimidating so you go into the tanneries even though you’ve realized by now that you’re nowhere near where you wanted to be.

Standing at the gate is absolutely the last point where you can back out. You’ll have to get angry and shout at the very least. They’ll follow you around and make you feel unsafe. They are counting on you being hapless tourists who won’t form a unified front though. That’s also how they managed to get me to go twice.

Once you’ve agreed to go in and see the tanning process (for which you may have to buy a “ticket” depending on how gullible they think you are) you’ll then be lead up into the buildings directly adjacent within just a few minutes to where they sell the products they’ve made. Everything from bags and shoes to entire couches. The exits are basically hidden and you’ll not be shown where to get out until you’ve bought something. If it looks like you won’t buy something they’ll start “negotiating” or “selling” you items in a way that makes you feel unsafe. I don’t know if the person who coined the phrase “tourist trap” ever visited the tanneries but it is quite literally true here.

First time I was here my parents bought a bunch of stuff and the staff was pushy but relatively friendly. The second time I grudgingly agreed to tag along with the other students because I knew I wouldn’t find them again otherwise. I wouldn’t buy anything and the students I was with didn’t want anything. I had to pay to get us out.

The rule is simple: Don’t talk to the locals. Ignore them if they talk to you.

Don’t ask for help. Don’t go with them if they offer to show you the way. Just keep walking until you find a clearing in the buildings and use GPS to guide yourself out. If you get lost again, repeat until you’ve exited the medina.

I’ll add an extra cautionary note. If you are vegetarian or vegan, seeing the dead bodies and smelling the putrid stench of the skins being turned into leather, is especially nauseating. I’ll say it again. Really don’t go here. Explaining that leather is against your morals is like talking to a wall. It’s not that they will be offended or anything. To me at least it genuinely seemed like the concept of a vegan was so alien to them they simply could not understand it even after explaining it both in English and French. Of course if you ever find yourself in a discussion like that you’ve already lost of course.

Don’t let that discourage you from seeing Morocco though. It is beautiful and it’s people are vibrant!