The Magic of Marrakech

Marrakech is much more than a thousand-year-old city with a rich and eventful past. For Marrakech has an incomparable aura and, above all, a unique atmosphere that offers a real delight to the senses.

What particularly characterizes the city is the pungent scent of spices rising from the souk. And the hurly-burly of people pressing their way through the streets and alleys of the medina, seemingly imprisoned between the walls of clay and straw, which are the colour of the setting sun and have given Marrakech the sonorous nickname El Hamra, the Red City.

In El Hamra people gladly cast aside all kinds of rules and conventions, and the city receives with open arms all those who do not shirk a challenge and are prepared to share its beauty with others: architects, interior decorators and designers, or the inspired individual who for a shorter or longer period can call himself Marrakechi resident of Marrakech and make a long-cherished, personal dream come true. Those who fall for the magical charm of Marrakech find a neglected riad or abandoned palace, and have the courage to rescue it from the ravages of time. They reinvest the buildings with their former glory and in so doing rediscover long-forgotten materials and methods. It is partly thanks to these committed people that we have been able to evoke in this book, using both text and images, the enchanting character of Marrakech.

Barbara and René Stoeltie began their careers as artists and gallery-owners. Since 1984, as author and photographer respectively, they have published countless articles and books on art and design. Publishing houses such as Taschen, Thames & Hudson, La Martinière, Frances Lincoln, Harry N. Abrams, have featured their texts and photos, which have also appeared in major magazines like ‘Vogue’, ‘The World of Interiors,’ ‘AD’, ‘Elle’, ‘House and Garden’, ‘Country Living’ and ‘House Beautiful’.

The Magic of Marrakech is the first in a series of which the forthcoming titles are:

The Magic of Brussels
The Magic of Paris
The Magic of Berlin
The Magic of New York