Creating Books and Exploring Marrakesh with Author Yasmin Zeinab
As zen as I’m trying to be about it, I do find myself feeling a little sad sometimes that I can’t travel abroad right now (and I know a lot of you feel the same!). But one upside is that I’m taking in more films and books that really evoke a sense of place, that make me feel (almost) like I’m traveling. And it’s been inspiring!
One of those books is Marrakesh, Explore the magic of the Red City, by Yasmin Zeinab. Yasmin is the author of Sundays in Paris, which came out in 2018 (when I was in the editing stages of Paris by Design) and I’ve loved it ever since. She’s a fantastic curator of wonderful spots you’ll want to visit while traveling. Marrakesh has long been on my travel bucket list and I know when I go, I’m bringing Yasmin’s book with me!
Keep reading to learn more about Yasmin, the process of creating her books, and why she fell in love with the city of Marrakesh. x E
Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like?
I was born in Amman, Jordan and moved to Adelaide, Australia when I was very young. My childhood was fun, I have fond memories of growing up in Adelaide. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by great friends from an early age, almost all of them I still count as dear friends today. I think it’s very special to have had people in your life for that long, one of my oldest friends I’ve know since I was 5!
You live in Paris now, right? How long have you lived there and how did you end up there?
I first moved to Paris in 2014, after spending 6 months in Lyon studying. I had the option to go back to Australia for a job at the end of my 6 months in Lyon but I wasn’t ready to leave France, so I came up to Paris to see what life here was like. I lived here for a year before my visa ran out. I then moved back to Australia for work and found myself traveling back to Paris 2 to 3 times a year. My intention was always to move back here at some stage but I though I might give New York or Hong Kong a try first, but life had other plans and I came back to Paris at the start of 2018.
Your first book, Sundays in Paris, is a favorite around here, of course! How did you get the idea to write it and what was the process like?
The evolution of Sundays in Paris is one of those funny stories full of sliding door moments. I met my friend RJ when I first moved to Paris in 2014, he was the one that originally gave me the idea for the concept, after I would constantly talk about how much I loved spending Sundays in the city. Two years later, when I was coming back and forth from Australia, we happened to be in the city at the same time. As luck would have it, the day we arranged to meet, he was with a friend of his friends, who is a literary agent in London and then rest, as they say, is history. The writing process was very organic as I had been curating a list of cafes, restaurants and bars in Paris for many years before the book came up.
Your new book, Marrakesh, Explore the Magic of the Red City, is another beautiful travel book! What made you first fall in love with Marrakesh?
Thank you! Ah Marrakesh. It’s a chaotic and mysterious place - much of the beauty of Marrakesh is in plain sight but the real beauty of the city is hidden behind towering walls and unmarked doors in the Medina. You need a sense of adventure and patience to discover the city and I think that’s part of its magic. That was the sense I got on my first visit there and each time I returned by fascination depended as I started to peel back the layers.
What was the process like of researching and writing Marrakesh?
Chaotic, much like the city itself. It’s true what they say, Marrakesh doesn’t like plans. Whether it was getting lost and spending hours waking around in circles in the Souk, being invited into people’s homes for lunch at the last minute or losing track of time sipping tea in the back of a carpet shop, we never managed to stay on schedule but that was the beauty of it. It was like working with building blocks, each person we met would help us build the next block for the book by connecting us with other locals, showing us their favorite spots to each or sharing their perspective of the city with us. It was also great fun. I was lucky enough to work with a good friend of mine, Alistair Wheeler. He photographed the entire book. We had a lot of fun discovering the city and making the book together.
What advice would you give to someone interested in creating travel-inspired books?
I would say finding a point of difference from travel books that are already out there is key. Find an interesting angle and explore the city through that lens. I’d also say focus on cities or places that are less known or that are not already the subject of lots of books.
What would a perfect day in Marrakesh look like to you?
Waking up at Riad Emberiza, my favourite places to stay in the city. After breakfast under the orange trees in their beautiful courtyard, a morning exploring the souk and soaking in the spirit of the city by wandering around the Medina with no real destination in mind. For lunch, a table by the window at Plus 61 in Gueliz followed by a quick visit to Jardin Marjoelle and the YSL museum, before a hammam at Les Bains de Tarabel to end the afternoon. The perfect night starts with drinks on the rooftop of El Fenn followed by dinner at Al Fassia.
And since most of us can't travel there just yet, how would you recommend we spend a day wherever we are channeling the spirit of Marrakesh?
Pour a glass of mint tea and grab a copy of Marrakesh, Explore the Magic of the Red City!
Thank you, Yasmin!
You can find her at @sundaysinparis on Instagram.
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Photos of the author and Marrakesh by Alistair Wheeler.
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