Author(s): Elan Fleisher

Architecture

Today's Marrakech is a thriving and trendy destination. Tourists are pouring into the city - Europeans, Americans and Australians thirsting for an exotic getaway. Five-star hotels (Raffles, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons) are currently under development in the sands around the city. The Medina, the central traditional core of Marrakech, is thriving like never before. Armies of artisans, handcrafters, architects and designers, concentrating on preserving the city's heritage, are contributing to a cultural renaissance that is reinventing the city. The Riads of the Medina (the traditional guesthouses) epitomise this new creativity and have become as much of a Marrakech attraction as the Souks themselves. These Riads showcase what visitors find inspiring about Marrakech; an oasis of tranquillity with refreshing dipping pools and luxury hammams; excellent kitchens serving gourmet couscous and tagines; courtyards of fountains and chirping birds; rooftop terraces offering private sunbathing with panoramic views of the snowy peaks of the Atlas mountains. The Riads in Marrakech are something between boutique design hotels and historic private preservation museums. Astonishingly, to date there exists no book that showcases the very best of the original Riads in Marrakech. There have been luxury hotel books and Moroccan Interior books, which include a traditional Riad or two amongst their volumes. This new book, The Riads of Marrakech, goes well beyond: for the first time, twelve of the very best of the Medina Riads have been thoroughly photographed, documented, compared and contrasted. Peppered between the Riad pages are photographic essays on the various facets of Marrakech life: sights, people, food, surroundings, and night-life. In total, 'The Riads of Marrakech' is not only a comprehensive study of these fascinating and luxuriously detailed residences but also a fine souvenir of the city itself, an irresistible reminder of this magical city.