Morocco
Behind the noise of the medina, courtyards invite a different pace of travel.
Muslim Edit6 min read
Marrakech has a reputation for intensity: the crowds, the scooters, the calls of traders in narrow lanes. It is all true, and part of its energy.
But step through a plain wooden door and the city changes. Many traditional houses are built around interior courtyards — orange trees, tiled fountains, rooms opening onto shade rather than street.
Slow travellers use these spaces as a base, venturing out in the cool morning and returning for the heat of the afternoon. It is a rhythm the architecture seems designed to encourage.
The approach rewards attention: noticing the tilework, learning the names of neighbourhood bakeries, returning to the same café long enough to be recognised.
