Many thanks and special mention to UNESCO for funding the renovation of this Kasbah and for paving the streets in the medina. Entrance to the Kasbah is 20 DH per person and this is exclusive of the tour guide. So the group arranged a tour guide for the Kasbah who will act as our guide, as well as later for the medina walking tour.
I forgot the name of the guide but he was quite good. With a smirk on his face, he narrated to us the history of the Kasbah including the love affairs of the Pacha who had four wives and several concubines. I guess this is pretty normal here in Morocco even up to this day, if you have the power and money that is. Anyway, he continued on that the wife who bears him the first son will become the favourite wife, or in other words, the ‘head wife’. The head wife will be entitled to better benefits in the marriage. She will have her own big (let me guess, the biggest) extravagant and ostentatious bedroom, a long entourage of maid servants at her beck and call, she obviously has the Pacha’s favour and interestingly, a special viewing room for festivities happening below in the inner courtyard.
Women back then are not directly shown to the public so the wives and concubines are literally stowed away. So during festivities, while the Pacha sits in the open balcony together with his officials and escorts being entertained, the wives are hidden away in their viewing rooms, the windows protected with iron grills. The head wife has her private viewing room of course while the 3 other wives share a smaller viewing room.
Honestly, I will not last a day being a wife of the Pacha, even if I become the head wife. No, thank you.
Here are my pictures of Kasbah Tourirt:
View from the balcony of the Pacha down to the inner courtyard.
Painting exhibit.
Left picture is the lovely wooden ceiling, more information below. Right picture is our tour guide (he was quite good) standing on the open vestibule, it is like a chimney or garbage chute that is used to bring food from the kitchen basement up to the rooms by using the simple lever and pulley technology system.
The ceilings in floral and geometrical patters are lovely even in their bad state. The paint used are henna and other natural ingredients. UNESCO I believe channeled a lot of money into the Kasbah’s renovation but perhaps more money is needed to fully preserve and renovate them to their former glory.
I believe this is the viewing window of the 3 wives. The right picture is one of the restored rooms.
Of course being in Morocco, the Kasbah is not complete without a hammam.
The hammam was quite primitive though and I can only surmise that women were so tiny back then. The entrance doorway to the hammam was so small it can be mistaken as a children’s playhouse. Inside the hammam you can find another hole, albeit tiny. If you slither yourself into it (I cannot imagine I would do that) you can enjoy a much warmer treatment.
OK, I would rather stick to the hammam at Club Med Marrakech!
View from the Kasbah to the medina.
Next: Walking Ouarzazate’s medina.
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