Mausoleum of Sidi Abd El Aziz, Marrakech

With its wooden, carved eaves and horseshoe-shaped entrance, this Mausoleum, built in 1508 on the orders of the Alaouite Sultan and restored in 2019, is not open to non-Muslims, but don’t let that put you off going to admire it from the exterior, especially since it is on an interesting souk on the way to the mosque/medersa of Ben Youssef.

Sidi Abd el Aziz was a silk merchant in Fès who apparently underwent some kind of religious conversion and gave up his business to become a fervent follower and key disciple of Sidi ben Slimane, the founder of Moroccan Sufism. Thus, he moved to Marrakech were he preached Sufism ethics to craftsmen and corporations in the Ben Youssef Mosque.

Sufism's core dimensions are universal brotherhood, human values and spirituality. It believes in organic spread of faith, not conversion by the sword. It remains a pluralist, non-violent, and tolerant faith that gains adherents during times of conflict and “social decadence”; however, you'll find Sufis are persecuted in the more traditional fundamentalist societies.

Of course, in Islam there are no "saints", but Sidi Abd el Aziz, Sidi ben Slimane and five others are considered the “Seven Men” – equivalent to Christian saints – because they are all buried in Marrakech. The pilgrimage to their tombs, still being held in late March, was established in the 17th century in order to provide the city with extra religious significance.