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RECEPTION |
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Welcome reception
Date: Saturday, March 19 (6:00 pm- 8:00
pm)
Place: Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price: included
in the
registration fee (for
unregistered companions, the price is EUR 20 per person).
All participants are
cordially invited to the Welcome Reception which will offer cocktails
and hors d’oeuvres. The reception will give you an informal opportunity
to meet friends and colleagues attending the meeting, and view exhibits. |
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BANQUET |
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Fantasia dinner at
"Chez Ali", a true 1001 nights experience! Date:
Tuesday, March 22nd (8:00 pm - 11:30 pm)
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price: 60 EUR
At
Chez Ali a
magnificent spectacle awaits you. As the evening progresses, all
through the dinner, various folklore troupes pass through the tents
dancing, singing and generally animating the evening. The highlight
comes at the end of your meal when you are invited to witness the
charging horsemen in their display of old tribal power with shouts and
firing of rifles as the pull their horses to a halt. Then
follows the
horseback acrobatics, a belly dancer and then up in the night sky
Sheherazade and her prince fly to the stars on their magic carpet, as
around them fireworks explode and the evening comes to its end.
Visitors
gather
under the massive tents at Chez Ali, a vast fantasy village in the
Marrakech palmgrove. Here, waiters and waitresses dressed in their own
tribal costumes also double as entertainers. Whole roasted lamb, or
mechoui, is one of the specialties, and so is a flavorful
vegetable-topped couscous. |
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SIGHTSEEING TOURS |
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Marrakesh Garden,
Ramparts and Palm Grove Tour (half day)
Date:
Sunday, March 20 (9:00 am - 12:00 am) & (2:30
pm - 6:30
pm)
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price: 30 EUR (includes: guide
&
tickets for museums and historical sites)
Experience the
timeless aspect of Moroccan life as you visit its
legendary gardens and the impressive ramparts of Marrakech. The ramparts
that wholly encircle the old city of Marrakesh are
almost a thousand years old and extend for 12 miles in an unbroken
circle. They
dominate this medieval city with their characteristic red stone walls
and superb nine gates. Visit the tropical Majorelle Gardens (Yves Saint
Laurent property) , with their fountains,
pools and lush bamboo groves built by the French painter Majorelle. The
cobalt blue buildings are its hallmark while more than 15 exclusive
North African bird species can be found in this garden. A ride to the beautiful palm
grove of Marrakech
completes the tour.
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Half day historical
sightseeing tour of Marrakesh
Date:
Monday, March 21 (9:00 am - 12:00 am) & (2:30
pm - 18:30
pm)
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price: 30 EUR
(includes: guide & tickets
for museums and historical sites)
Marrakesh
was founded in
the XIth century by the Almoravides dynasty. Marrakesh the red lies
down the Atlas mountains and is famous for its smooth climate and its
palm-grove, which inspired many poets who named it, the pearl of the
south. With the saadien dynasty Marrakech reached its apogee. The
Almoravides left in heritage palaces and gardens such as the famous
Menara and its artificial lake, dated from the XIIth century and the
Koutoubia with its minaret considered as the jewel of the
hispano-mauresque architecture.
After
visiting the
monuments of Marrakech, the Koutoubia minaret (12th century),
the Bahia Palace (16th century) and the
Saadians tombs (16th century), you will be
dreaming for a
couple of hours in the fascinating souks and narrow streets waiting for
the unique sunset at jamaa El Fnaa square in the very heart of
Marrakesh. There you will watch a permanent show of acrobats,
storytellers, snake charmers and fire-spitters, and entertainers of
every kind. |
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EXCURSIONS |
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Full
day excursion to Oualidia
Date: Saturday, March 19 (7:30 am - 6:00 pm)
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price:
65 EUR
(includes: guide & seafood lunch on an isolated island!)
Oualidia
is a stunningly
picturesque
little resort
- a fishing port and lagoon beach, flanked by a kasbah and a royal
villa. The kasbah is seventeenth century, built by the Saadian Sultan El
Oualid (after whom the village is named) then held by the Portuguese.
Until Sultan Sidi
Mohammed took El Jadida, the extensive lagoon made an excellent harbour
and, as late as 1875, a French geographer thought that "by a little
dredging the place would again become the safest shipping station on the
whole Moroccan seaboard". The royal villa, which now stands empty, was
built by Sultan Mohammed V, who celebrated many birthdays and other
family
events here. Today, most Moroccans know Oualidia for its
Japanese oysters ; Morocco's first oyster farm was launched here in 1957
and nowadays it harvests some 200 tons a year, most of which are sold
locally. |
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Excursion
to the Atlas Mountains: Tahanout / Ourika Valley
Dates:
1) Tuesday, March 22 (9:30 am - 4:30 pm)
2) Friday, March 25 (9:30 am - 4:30 pm) 
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price: 55 EUR
(includes: guide & lunch)
Scenic drive through the fertile plains
of the Haouz before reaching
Tahanout , the first mountain village and get into the High Atlas and
the Moulay Brahim gorges. The road reach Asni valley dwarfed by the
Toubkal peak, the highest in North Africa, where the temperate climate
is ideal for fruit cultures, and the village of Moulay Brahim. The visit
to one of the colourful Tahanout Berber market (souk) in the Atlas
Mountains should not be missed! Berber villagers come from miles around,
either on foot, by truck or donkey, laden with their wares and produce,
to sell at the local weekly market.
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Full
day excursion to Essaouira
Date:
Wednesday, March 23 (7:30 am - 6:00 pm)
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price:
65 EUR
(includes: guide & lunch)
The charming small town,
Essaouira (also known as Mogador) was built in 1760 by a french
architect upon orders of Mohamed Ben Abdellah, alaouite sultan. It
became the first trade harbour of Morocco
in the late 18th century. Essaouira’s blue and white colored
Medina was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Essaouira is a
handicraft centre, particularly for sandals, woodwork and silver
jewellery.
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Full
day excursion to Ouarzazate
Date:
Thursday, March 24 (7:30 am - 7:00 pm)
Buses depart from the Mansour Eddahbi Hotel
Price:
65 EUR
(includes: guide & lunch)
This
full
day excursion will
take you across the High Atlas chain
through
the Tizi N'Tichka pass, an imposing landscape with high mountains and
traditional
Berber villages. When descending the east side of the chain, the
landscape
suddenly changes to an arid and desert panorama. In Ouarzazate, visit
the
Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (11th century, declared historical treasure
by
UNESCO) and the Taourirt kasbah.
The
famous
kasbah,
named Ait Ben Haddou guarded
in medieval times the lucrative trading route through the desert to
Timbuktu.
No wonder if the scenes are familiar: Lawrence of Arabia, among other
famous
movie classics, have been filmed here. | |
| Social Events booking |
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Please make your
reservation using the booking section of
this site. If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to
contact us at piers@directevent.net. | |
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Social Events
