TravelswithCharie

The Pavilion Water. Our gardens need water so our plants and flowers can bloom and grow. In an arid land, water is a blessing.   During the second half of the 11th century, the Marrakchi found a way to collect and store water from the Atlas Mountains in a ground drainage tunnel called khettara , which then distributed water to the mosques, hammams, fountains and the homes of the rich and powerful. The Saadian rulers in Marrakech were recipients of this precious commodity at their palace inside the Medina. This water source still flows to this day and irrigates the Secret Garden which is on the grounds of the former Saadian palace that fell into disprepair in the 17th century. Ownership of the property changed hands several times over centuries. It was only in 2016 that the garden was opened to the public after years of extensive restoration and research. Learning about the architecture of Le Jardin Secret gives away the reason for its name. The garden is surrounded by two dist...

Marchand de Tapis, oil on canvas “A visit to Marrakech was a great shock to me. This city taught me color.” Yves Saint Laurent It was inspiring to see the paintings of Abdallah Alaoui in March at the Secret Garden in Marrakech. It gave me this idea to show the daily life and people of Marrakech through the rich color palette of its resident artist. The painter who signs his canvases as Elalaoui, is a professor of industrial drawing. His early foray into art started with pencil and ink drawings before moving on to line art and sketching. Elalaoui added color to his works in 1986 and in 1988, he discovered oil painting. Much later, he learned the pastel technique. The paintings I have posted here are part of his figurative realism portfolio. They are vibrant representations of everyday scenes in Marrakech.  Vendeuse des citrons, 2016, oil on canvas Life seems intense when you are navigating the Medina and bright colors jump at you from the stalls selling carpets, pottery, leather goo...