A Douar And Catching Beauty

November and yet every day we are blessed with a bright and warm autumn sun. Late in the afternoon, just an hour before the sun definitely disappears behind the giant mountain on our left, it shines upon an ancient dour (Berber village) we look upon from our side of the river. It is a magical moment as the douar bathes, enchantingly and serene in the last rays of sunlight.

I have taken countless shots in every season and from every possible angle to try and capture the glory of this particular moment but the results are far from satisfactory. This beauty won’t be caught easily but I’ll keep on trying.

No matter where you stay in Dar Zohra, every room has a view of the river, the mountains and the scenic douar.

Objects Of Desire

For the people that know me it is no secret that I love beautiful things. Oriental things, old things, curious things, but in particular traditional tribal things. Objects that tell a tale, even if it derives only from the imagination of the observer. Things that are handmade, skilfully created with a dedication that deserves admiration.

During the construction of the guesthouse we’ve been collecting items for the furnishing and decoration of the rooms. Some things have come from far, shipped across the Arabian Sea and over the Atlantic Ocean. Closer by in Marrakech we stumbled upon a few great objects and several craftsmen who amazingly materialised our scribbled designs for furniture and lamps.

We are now decorating the rooms with the beautiful things we have found and purchased from near and far. Each room will be furnished a little bit different due to size and position and because objects of desire are generally unique.

Dar Zohra Development

Time for a brief update on the Dar Zohra development. First of all Dar Zohra is now officially registered at the Chambre de Commerce in Marrakech, which I can safely say is a huge milestone! Paper work in general is no fun but in Morocco your persistence is really challenged!

A good friend has designed a wonderful logo for the guesthouse and we feel that it beautifully projects what Dar Zohra is aiming to be. Although the drawing is abstract, it perfectly describes part of the view from the guesthouse with the old douar perched against the mountain. We are currently gathering thoughts and ideas for the website but the logo can be viewed on www.darzohra.com. Let us know what you think!

A Change Of Plan

I know, I know we said we'd be open by Christmas but there has been a change of plan. Inspired by a chilly October breeze (and a sky high quotation for a tent construction to cover the terrace), we decided at the very last moment to transform the main terrace into a restaurant. With lots of smaller terraces in the open to choose from we can now also offer our guests a warm and dry place to drink and eat during the cold months and on a rainy day.

In order not to compromise the view, the front will have five huge windows which can be opened almost completely during the hot summers and a spacious doorway to the smaller terraces.

So, we won’t be up and running for a little while yet but we feel that the delay will result in a considerable upgrade of the guesthouse with even more convenience for our guests.

A Chest, A Bret And A Dried Fruit Basket

In Morocco you’ll find 1001 pretty things for sale and every day new items and designs are created in the workshops. Once you set off to find a particular item, you’ll find yourself bedazzled by the choice and colours available.

In the souk of Marrakech the shop keepers have mastered the art of alluring displays and it is hard to ignore all that is available! To make things a little easier the souk is divided into sections where you'll find the leather items, ceramics, brass items, fabrics, spices etc. For every taste there is something available and the designers are well aware of fashion and trends in Europe.


It has taken me a while but I've learned to resist many temptations. However, there are exceptions and occasionally we stumble upon something particularly pretty, like this old Berber chest with wood carving. It has travelled in a truck from the South of Morocco and takes seven men to lift. We have planned for it to decorate the restaurant.

A used Moroccan bret (tea pot) has become a very popular item amongst foreigners living in Morocco and tourists. The great demand has increased prices of the old brets but they are still reasonbly easy to find and a lovely sight on a traditional tea tray.

Recently in Fez we found a black and white dried fruit basket which we couldn’t resist. In Morocco it is used to serve dried fruits. They can be found in different sizes and every imaginable colour combination with silver or brass coloured plates.

Rooms With A View In Ourika

While were working on the interior of our guesthouse the exterior is ready and waiting! This is what we see when we wake up and this is what our guests will see from the rooms and the private terraces.

A world of differences

Work and fun, we’re good at that and Essaouira is the ideal place. Off we were last weekend to this lazy town to check up on the wood work and of course for a little sun tan on the beach.

Essaouira is already preparing itself for the coming annual Gnaoua World Music Festival. Stages are built on the main squares and visitors from all over the world are landing in the small town like flocks of birds. Hotels and guesthouses enjoy full occupancy, the terraces in the old medina are crowded and the town breaths the anticipation of the festival. Soon Essaouria will shake of its drowsiness to become the centre of Gnaoua music, an international meeting point where steady fans will celebrate joyful reunions. The transcendent sounds of rhythmic drums will fill the sky above the town and beyond while thousands of people swing their hips or tap their feet to the music.



The doors and window panes for Dar Zohra are almost ready to install but still need a few adjustments to measure up to our ‘Dutch’ standards. The experience of building a guesthouse in Morocco has taught us one very simple lesson, never walk away when there is work in progress and expect great results! It is not a question of the incapacity of the craft men; it is all about what is generally regarded as acceptable or a job well done. The difference between our European demands and the Moroccan standard is great. Our expectations of the long term preservability of things are so much higher and hardly attainable in a society which in my opinion is mainly focussed on fast profit and lacks the desire for quality.


Women on the beach

Clay from Fez

In this land of infinite possibilities when it comes to pavements, we finally decided to use a very traditional Moroccan tile called Bajmat for Dar Zohra. To enliven and accent the floors we’ve chosen to use a mix of colours of the small colour glazed tiles and a simply designed mosaic border.


Apparently the best quality clay can be found in the region of Fez where the clay is hand moulded into tiles. Without the use of chemicals the tiles are then laid out to dry naturally in the sun after which they are baked in wood fired ovens.


A finished pavement on the main terrace was one of the marvellous surprises on our home coming a few days ago. We love it and hope you like it too!

Dar Zohra Progress, A Milestone!

We’ve been in Essaouira this week, checking the woodwork progress and trying to silence our overflowing minds for creative thinking. The time has come for us to decide on the furniture for the guesthouse and instead of buying everything ready made we have come up with some great designs of our own. In the meantime the construction of the guesthouse continued under the supervision of Brahim and we came home to find surprising progress!

The entrance gate to our guesthouse is finished! It is a beautiful arch made of stone with a width of 4 meters! For us this really is a milestone, it is the doorway to our guesthouse and terrace. All the entrance needs now are the two wooden doors which are being made in Essaouira as we speak. It is finally, finally, beginning to look for real.


I am so thrilled about it that I can’t help myself bragging about it a little more! The entrance is amazing; as one stands before it a spectacular view behind it already shows through the doorway. The blue sky above the arch just seems to light up against the contrasting colours of the stone work but the biggest surprise awaits when one passes through the entrance and the panorama spreads out before your eyes. My own experience is that it feels as if you’re stepping into a great openness, almost surreal causing a faint dizziness. However hard I try I simply can't get this sensation across on an image. You'll just have to come and see it yourself!

A second team of workmen has been working hard in the garden below and the stairs from the upper garden towards the swimming pool is now almost finished. It won’t be long before we can start planting the rose bushes and Bougainville.

Spring holiday in the Valley of Ourika

The spring holiday has brought many tourists to the Valley of Ourika. From near and far people come to the mountains to enjoy the beautiful scenery. While we continue to work on our guesthouse visitor’s already stop on our parking to see the spectacular view and people often take great interest in the building progress.

We are getting to know some of the driver’s and guides of the tourist busses who stop by regularly and have begun to follow the progress of the guesthouse. In their stories about the view and the douar on the other side of the river they now include details about the guesthouse and the building techniques!



Yesterday we spent the morning mingling with the passers by and taking photos of our view. Part of the guesthouse in progress is visible on the picture above. Below a photo of the view from the parking.

The wall

To be honest I am not very interested in construction. I find it boring and sometimes as hard to understand as quantum physics. From drawings it’s even harder for me to visualise the final result of a building or the costs involved. This lack of comprehension also sometimes leads to unnecessary worry about crumbling wall’s or ceilings caving in and not in the least rather stupid questions when I feel obliged to be of some support to my spouse.

An enormous wall is now being build around the garden and witnessing the process of this construction on a daily basis has prompted my interest and I am finally beginning to understand a little of the old technique with which the douars (Berber villages) in the High Atlas region have been built for hundreds of years.

Once the foundation has been made, large rocks are carefully placed on top of the other with cement (clay in the old days). This is done with great precision for a perfect fit and to create little gaps between them. These gaps are then filled with small pieces of stone to make the wall even more massive and stable.

There are easier and much cheaper ways to build a wall but our goal has always been to build a new construction in harmony with and as kind to the environment as we possibly can.

An ode to Brahim

We receive a great deal of enthusiasm and compliments from family and friends about our guesthouse in progress. The two floors which we build on top of the original house were designed by my partner who sat endlessly behind his drawing papers to create a style that would blend in well with the traditional Berber architecture of the Atlas Mountains. A project like this requires some sacrifices as well as perseverance when the going gets tough and positive response is always a very welcome encouragement! But it must be said that this achievement is only partially ours, the incredible dedication of our master bricklayer Brahim has made it all possible.

Brahim came to work for us as a bricklayer shortly after we had bought the house, building decorative walls in our garden with flagstones. He gradually began to work on the main construction of the first floor which is build mostly with large pieces of rock from the nearby river. During the years it has taken to finish the first and second floor he has become a devoted master in his profession. Almost every stone in the building has passed through his capable hands, starting as massive rocks at the river bed which he then skilfully cut’s into useful stones with a sledge hammer.

A bright sun invited us all out for a stroll down to the river this afternoon where we found Brahim collecting and cutting new rocks. I watched him with awe as he gathered new building material and somewhat embarrassed I realised that a great deal of the praise we receive really belongs to him.

Brahim, thank you for being our tower of strength!