Specialty shopping in Africa
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Ensemble Artisinal
Chefchaouen remains an artisan centre and, as such, an excellent place to shop - especially for woven rugs and blankets in bright primary colours. Many shops have looms in situ, so you can see the blankets being made. Previously silk was the material of choice: the mulberry trees in Plaza Uta el-Hammam are a legacy of these times. Most of the weaving nowadays is with wool, one of the area's biggest products.
It's worth stopping at the Ensemble Artisinal, if only for the sake of comparison.
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Sidi Ghanem
The industrial quarter 4km outside Marrakesh along the Route de Safi is chock full of made-for-export design studios selling direct from their outlets. Hire a taxi for a couple of hours in the morning or late afternoon and troll the lanes to see what's open (hours are erratic). Head to Mia Zia for Moroccan-inspired knitwear, Akkal for ceramics and Talamanzou for handwoven Berber carpets in spare modern designs.
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Ben Rahal Carpets
For quality carpets without the usual rounds of mint tea, haggling and ceremonious hoopla, ditch the Medina and head for the fixed prices and easygoing attitudes of Ben Rahal. Don't be fooled by the size of the place: the small, careful selection may leave you spoiled for choice. Get informed about antique Berber rugs and realistic carpet prices here first, and avoid buyer's remorse in the souqs later.
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KwaZulu Muti Museum of Man and Science
Diagonal St, 100m east of SAB World of Beer, is a quirky shopping area that includes the KwaZulu Muti Museum of Man and Science. It’s not a museum but a shop selling the weird and wonderful, and specialising in traditional herbal medicines. You can even arrange to meet a sangoma (traditional medicine practitioner).
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Couleurs Primaires
Why let Matisse hog all the glory for painting vacations in Morocco? Find your inspiration in the streets of Marrakesh, and your raw materials at Couleurs Primaires. If you think impasto sounds like something you'd have for dinner, you can find a teacher here too. Chat up the staff and they'll hook you up with artist studio visits and Arabic calligraphy lessons.
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Art Du Bronze
Handcrafted brass and metalware gleam from every corner of this large shop. Much is made on the premises and you can see the craftsman at work every day from 09:00 to 17:00. Brass plates and teapots start at around DH150. Good quality camel-bone mirrors start at around DH500 and there are filigree lanterns from around Dh2500.
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Coin De Henne
This tiny shop stocks medicinal herbs and spices, essential oils, flower waters and perfumes. Si Mohammed el-Amrani sells good honey from the south, and tubs of argan oil-based cream for wrinkles. There's also traditional incense, including gum arabic, sandalwood and frankincense. And wonderful clocks!
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Banana Box
Among the rather less altruistic commercialism of the Sarit Centre, Banana Box works in conjunction with community projects and refugee groups and offers modern uses for traditional objects.
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Mat Maker
The last craftsman left making dried grass mats by hand, Saïd Laghzaoui is worth visiting to see this dying craft. The mats are used in mosques, but you can also buy placemats.
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Labedi Apiculture
A fascinating tiny shop, this sells local bee products, including eucalyptus honey, royal jelly hand-cream and aromatic hair oils.
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Boxes & Cigars
If it's cigars you're after, this place has a dazzling range on offer, with the boxes just about as attractive as the smokes.
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Expo Camera Centre - Westlands
Hires out SLR cameras and lenses. Stocks of film are pretty poor outside Nairobi so stock up here before you go on safari.
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Elite Camera House
Reductions for bulk purchases. Stocks of film are pretty poor outside Nairobi so stock up here before you go on safari.
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Aloe Vera Info Center
The Aloe Vera Info Center can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this healing species of cacti.
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Fedha Foto Studio
Stocks of film are pretty poor outside Nairobi so stock up here before you go on safari.
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Fotoland
Stocks of film are pretty poor outside Nairobi so stock up here before you go on safari.
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Expo Camera Centre - City Centre
Stocks of film are pretty poor outside Nairobi so stock up here before you go on safari.
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