A business woman attempts to escape from her commitments for a while as they seem to close in around her. Her friend persuades her to accompany her to Marrakesh. The intended rest and relaxation almost imperceptibly transforms into a journey to another reality. At first, the colours, smells and lights draw her in, and then the hustle and bustle of the city with its beguiling mix of Oriental life combined with western influences increasingly fascinates her. The traveller makes friends with people who quickly become familiar, like characters in a dream, and they lead her to places and festivities where she experiences an incredible spirit, exhilaration and ecstasy. She learns to sense colours, and to perceive emotions with her body. The adventure seems to reconnect that indeterminable “something” that she had lost during her exhausting every day routine. All this bears great sensitivity towards visual and atmospheric stimuli. A tableau of the city unfolds before the inner eye of the reader through a story narrated with great attention to detail and a passionate and knowledgeable description of Marrakesh's attractions, so much that this book could also be regarded as an ideal travel guide.

It has been said that Marrakech awakens all of the senses. Whether it is seeing the intricate zellige tilework; smelling the various spices sold at the souks; hearing the call to prayer emanate from the nearby mosques; touching the supple leather used to make a pair of babouches (leather sandals); tasting a flavorful tagine, Marrakech never fails to excite. Located just west of the Atlas Mountains, the city has been inhabited by Berber farmers for centuries. It has been dubbed the “Ochre City” because of the proliferation of red sandstone buildings and the red city walls, which now enclose the Medina, home to Jemaa el-Fnaa, one of the busiest squares in Africa.

"An enigmatic fable in the tradition of 'The Thousand and One Nights.' " —Anderson Tepper, New York Times Book Review Hassan, a storyteller, has gathered listeners in Marrakesh’s fabled Jemaa el Fna to perform his annual re-creation of the night on which two foreigners mysteriously disappeared from the square. But as his audience offers contradicting testimonies, and details transform or dissolve in the haze of memory, the couple takes on an air as enigmatic as their fate, leaving us to wonder whether Hassan is getting closer to the truth or, more disturbingly, is himself part of the mystery.

Moroccan design, from the tiled floors to the colored walls, sculpted ceilings, embroidered fabrics, Berber tents, fountains, gardens, and more In a world filled with beige interiors, Morocco is the perfect antidote: a refuge for addicts of saturated color, a haven for devotees of intricate pattern, a destination for admirers of striking architecture. For anyone who wants to add Morocco's spicy design mix into their own home, Maryam Montague, the personality behind the award-winning blog My Marrakesh, explains how to do so with the building blocks of Moroccan design—from the colors, patterns, and textiles to the archways, fountains, gardens, and so much more. With illustrative text and gorgeous photographs, Maryam shows how Moroccan design comes to life in real villas and riads and in her own magnificent home and guesthouse. Eager DIYers will love the ideas presented in sidebars and in how-to projects that can be applied to homes anywhere. Filled with all the richness of Morocco,Marrakesh by Design will transport readers straight to the souks and salons of this exotic city while showing them the multitude of ways to live with the enticing elements of Moroccan design.

About the Book At seventy-three years old, Antonina Duridanova is asked all the time how it is she looks twenty years younger. After all the comments and questions, Duridanova has decided to record her daily routine and goals to obtain a fit and healthy lifestyle. In this insightful read, she emphasizes the importance of a healthy diet, finding types of exercise that work for you, maintaining rich, fulfilling hobbies, and doing all of the combined through travel. Duridanova explores first the role of diet and how to maintain healthy eating habits, moving on to physical and mental exercises to keep your body and mind in top condition. Duridanova explores familial and friend relationships and their importance in achieving a positive balance in your life, and how travel and exploration can bring new friends along the way. With all this and much more, you, too, can begin now to incorporate these habits to live a long and healthy life for mind, body, and soul.

There are two cities in Marrakesh - the first, the capital, is geometrically and secretly laid out.

Untouched by both time and tourism, the fishing port of Essaouira, Morocco, is known for its prostitutes, black magic, con artists, ghosts—and the legend of a virgin who once lured mariners to her lighthouse, worked them into a frenzy of desire, and then devoured their hearts before they could steal her innocence. Sebastian is a young, easy-going, generous English businessman living in Spain who decides to buy a small apartment in Essaouira with the hope of learning Arabic. Instead, however, he is convinced by his half-brother, Roger, to purchase a thirteen-room brothel and convert it into a hotel. As rumours suggest that the ghost virgin, Aïsha Qandeesha, still haunts the streets—enticing victims to the cemetery and then tearing them to shreds—Sebastian is mesmerized by the previous brothel owner’s stories that there is a buried treasure within the house. But after he hires the madame’s former maid, Aïda, to work for him, problems begin that cause Sebastian to wonder whether tragedy will follow him forever. Magic Lobsters and Flying Tagines is the tale of one man’s attempt to open a boutique hotel in an exotic country as he is helplessly controlled by the strange twists and turns of his destiny.