Riad - Marrakesh One hundred miles of semi-desert separates Marrakesh from the Atlantic Ocean yet, to John Shield, Morocco's third city has always had the feel of a port. Now 64, he fell for its edgy and eclectic buzz as a hippie in the late Sixties. But it wasn't until he had set up a legal practice in Liverpool and raised two children with his entrepreneur wife Juliet that in 2001, ready for a fresh challenge, he headed to the Medina, Marrakesh’s bustling, labyrinthine old town, in search of a traditional Moroccan riad.
"It was mayhem," chuckles John. "Regular estate agents won’t touch the Medina, so it all works by word of mouth. Someone would know of a house for sale and it would then be touted at varying prices by four go-betweens on bikes, all angling for a commission."
John turned to the local telephone directory for the number of a long-lost French contact who, he seemed to recall, had worked as an architect in Marrakesh. Fortunately he still did and gave John the benefit of his experience. Over the following 18 months they looked at some 30 properties, but multiple ownership proved a stumbling block. "When a father dies in Morocco his property automatically goes to all his sons," John explains. "Some of these would be living abroad, so tracking them down would have been a nightmare.”
Surprisingly, however, they eventually found an ideal riad with just one female owner. The house had been empty for years, John barely had to haggle over price and, crucially, considering many houses in the Medina are terraced properties to which goods have to be literally donkeyed in, it was accessible by car. There was just one snag: the front door was being used as a small shop and it took the riad’s owner another six months to come to an agreement with the shopkeeper.
A Unesco world heritage site, the Medina was built in the Middle Ages and rebuilt over the centuries, with no foundations to speak of and with extremely fragile mud and wattle walls. "We were lucky, our riad was a total wreck," John recalls, with a wry smile. "The floors were crumbling, it had no drains and it was too dangerous to go on the roof terrace, but at least none of this had been hidden by a recent makeover."
Unfortunately, a party wall adjoining a mosque collapsed, and the workers fled in panic. The solution was steel within the walls, to protect the structure. Apart from a plunge pool in the courtyard and a yoga room, the riad has been rebuilt in its original style, albeit with an elegant European twist. John and Juliet achieved this by keeping samples of the plaster, tiling and ironwork, which they commissioned craftsmen to replicate. "The Medina is a cash-only economy but the craftsmanship more than made up for the haggling," says John.
The subtle tones of the riad's walls provide a calming contrast to the hustle and bustle of the narrow streets outside. Not that John has grown weary of the Medina's unique brand of mayhem. Retirement isn't quite on the agenda just yet, but he and Juliet plan to spend much more of their time in Marrakesh once it is.
"People live cheek by jowl in the Medina," he says. "You can't ignore them and they won't ignore you, but that's what I love about it." As if to remind him, the haunting call to prayer floats over from the mosque. "That's just part of the music of the place, though we do recommend that guests wear earplugs in bed until they get used to it."
Photographs by Andreas von Einsiedel.
The riad is available to rent. For further information email johnshield@hotmail.co.uk