The Elegance of Dar El Bacha

When we first opened the doors at Riad Tizwa in 2005, Marrakech still felt like a delicious secret. The kind of place travellers mentioned quietly to friends over dinner, alongside stories of hidden courtyards, rooftop sunsets and mysterious alleyways that somehow always led somewhere unforgettable.

Back then, Dar El Bacha sat quietly within the Medina, elegant but understated. It wasn’t yet the neighbourhood splashed across design magazines or bookmarked across social media. It belonged mostly to local families, antique dealers, craftsmen and those curious enough to wander slightly further into the maze of the old city.

Today the story feels very different. And much better….

Dar El Bacha has become one of the most admired quarters in Marrakech: sophisticated, creative and full of character without losing the authenticity that made people fall in love with it in the first place. The neighbourhood has evolved carefully, not polished into something artificial, but refined into something confident and worldly. Just take a look at Flowers restaurant and Soufiane Zarib’s interior place to confirm that it’s one of the most stylish areas in Marrakech.

Part of that transformation arrived with the reopening of Le Jardin Secret in 2008. Hidden behind ancient walls, the restored palace gardens reminded visitors that Marrakech has always understood beauty, water, architecture and calm better than almost anywhere else on earth. It marked a shift in how the city began presenting its heritage to the world.

Soon afterwards came the arrival of Dar El Bacha Coffee. Suddenly, in the middle of the Medina, there was a glamorous café serving beans sourced from across the globe beneath chandeliers and polished marble. It felt both impossibly international and perfectly Marrakech at the same time.

And yet Dar El Bacha has never become predictable.

The area still thrives on its eccentricity and creative energy. Recently artist Hassan Hajjaj brought a pop up of his unmistakable visual world to the neighbourhood with a gallery and boutique filled with colour, humour and pop culture references. French designer Stella Cadente tried out a boutique store steps from Riad Tizwa, and Aroma is a new outlet for the best of contemporary Moroccan design.

At street level, though, the charm remains wonderfully grounded. Local bicycle rental shops, tiny cafés, spice merchants and repair stalls still hum quietly alongside the newer openings. One of the pleasures of Dar El Bacha today is precisely this mix: old Marrakech and modern Marrakech existing side by side without trying too hard.

The city itself has transformed dramatically over the last two decades. Marrakech is no longer simply an adventurous stop on a wider Moroccan journey; for many visitors, it has become the reason for travelling entirely. New direct flights now connect the city to destinations across Europe and North America, bringing millions of visitors each year drawn by design, cuisine, art, fashion and winter sunshine.

And naturally, where Marrakech goes, famous faces tend to follow.

Over the years, the city has welcomed everyone from Madonna and David Beckham to Rihanna, Brad Pitt, Gigi Hadid and Meryl Streep. Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has long been associated with the city too.

And yes, we can officially confirm that Gerard Butler and icon Sadie Frost have stayed in the neighbourhood whilst filming nearby.

But despite all the global attention, some things have remained reassuringly unchanged. That continuity matters.

Because while Marrakech has grown, modernised and become internationally fashionable, its magic still lies in the smaller details: the flicker of candlelight on tiled walls, the scent of orange blossom after rain, the sound of footsteps echoing through old stone corridors.

Twenty years after opening Riad Tizwa, we remain enormously grateful to every guest who has passed through our doors and become part of the story — and even more thrilled to have opened and launched Dar Tizwa.

And as Marrakech continues to evolve, we are very happy to evolve with it: in the heart of it all, exactly where we began.