The Doors

Moroccans have a unique sense of style when it comes to doors for their homes or businesses.

The scrollwork at the top of this Moroccan door is echoed in the painting at the bottom.

The grillwork on this Moroccan door is broken up by blue stone at the middle and bottom.

Businesses with their heavy, 10 foot steel doors are also receive a decorative treatment.  Few places are left unadorned.  Plain, solid-colored doors are the exception rather than the rule in Marrakech.

The black and beige steel doors in Marrakech are separated by a green and gray tile pattern.

Money, Money, Money, Money, Money

A 20-dirham bill.  (from Wikipedia.org)

Learning about Moroccan money has been easy.  Learning how to spend it has been hilariously difficult.   Coins as well as bills are stamped with their denomination. So a coin stamped with 10 would be the equivalent of a dime as it takes 10 of them to make a dirham. A 50 rial coin is one-half of a dirham.  So I thought, "ok, that's simple enough".  And it is.

When it comes time to actually spend the money, though, that's when the problems start. Imagine going out to shop and having the price of everything given to you in nickels or in 50-cent pieces. Or in dirhams.  Aha! Now you see where the difficulty lies.  I have absolutely no clue as to why pricing is so...flexible, but there it is.

In the suq, or open-air markets, I will be asked for mia, or a hundred nickels, which is 5 dirham's worth of vegetables.  Mia mia is 10 dirhams. Maybe the vendor will combine units of nickels and dirhams: miasteen is a hundred nickels and 3 dirhams for a total of 8 dirhams. On the other hand, I can go to a hanute, one of the neighborhood stores, and the shopkeeper may ask for 72 rial or half-dirhams, which is 36 dirhams. 

How do I manage this confusing system? I can ask for all prices in dirhams, of course, but where's the fun in that?  It's like cheating. Besides, I want to figure this out. 

I have come up with some subtle methods to help. Sometimes I will turn to a companion and have her hold up her fingers as if I were a little kid.  Or hand her some money and let her pick out the right amount. Often I will have a general idea of the total and give what I hope is a larger denomination than the actual price, so I can get change back and figure the cost in reverse.

I'm starting to get the hang of it now. But sometimes, boy, I wish I had more fingers.

The Noble Steed of Morocco

If you were expecting a horse, you are going to be disappointed.  The noble steed and workhorse, if you will, is none other than the donkey.  Donkeys are quite common on the streets of Marrakech.  Vendors use donkey carts to carry the fruits and vegetables that they sell on the streets to passersby.  Donkey carts make deliveries of produce to the suqs, the open-air markets located throughout the city.

And don't be surprised if a store owner calls one of them to bring newly purchase items such as furniture and appliances to your house.  If you ask nicely, you might be able to ride along.  I have.  The cart owner probably went home to tell his family about the crazy Americans, but the ride was fun nonetheless.

Small Businesses

A common arrangement for home is design is for the first floor to be a commercial space, and the family or familes live above it.  Many tiny businesses are no bigger than the bedroom space of a house and the owner simply opens a door and to enter the rest of the house. No commutes.

The commercial spaces can be anything-- tiny grocery stores, beauty salons, mechanics' shops, cyber cafes, school supply shops, pharmacies, bakeries, appliance stores. Small businesses are everywhere. Much of what you need on a daily basis is in walking distance.  There must be a dozen tiny grocery stores within 4 blocks of my house.

 I think the reason they can coexist is the fact that they are so tiny.The dimensions for these shops must be about 10' wide by 12' or 15'deep. The "big" stores are doublewides. Since the stores are so limited by space as to the amount of goods or services they can offer, none can really take over any given area. Everybody wins--customers and shop owners alike.

The guy in the red shirt is standing by the tall steel shutter-type doors that are typical of businesses all over. This tiny pool hall is just large enough for 2 tables and a little room to maneuver on each side.