When we opened the doors to Riad Tizwa in 2005, Marrakech was still a whisper. A secret passed between travellers with sun-scorched passports and linen shirts rolled to the elbow. The Medina was a labyrinth of wonder — chaotic, intoxicating, a little daunting — and our particular corner, Dar El Bacha, was just that: a corner. A quiet nook. A district known mostly to those who lived within its winding walls or someone with a nose for an authentic antique.

Fast forward twenty years, and Dar El Bacha is no longer a whisper. It’s the headline.

“Our” area of the medina has grown up — gracefully, confidently, and without losing its edge. If the Medina were a novel, Dar El Bacha would be its most interesting chapter: full of plot, beauty, elegance and the occasional secret. The transformation began, arguably, in 2008, with the opening of Le Jardin Secret — a botanical revelation housed within the bones of a 19th-century palace. It wasn’t just a garden; it was a statement. A reclamation. Marrakech was beginning to curate itself.

Then came Dar El Bacha Coffee, where beans from Ethiopia, Guatemala and even the High Atlas are served to a clientele of design-forward tourists, flâneurs and the occasional overstimulated travel writer. The café’s terrazzo floors and mirrored baristas brought a touch of contemporary Paris to the spice-scented air of the souks.

Dar El Bacha remains quirky. The Moroccan “Pop Artist” Hassan Hajjaj now has an elegant gallery come shop and renowned fashion designer Stella Cadente, who has worked with French fashion houses including Chanel, Chloé and Dior, has a new boutique right next to Riad Tizwa.

We also keep it real in the hood with Mikala Bike Hire. A simple idea — rent a bike, ride the city — but in practice, something close to revolutionary. The romance of cycling through the ochre alleyways of the Medina, with the call to prayer rising like birdsong, is something postcards can’t quite capture.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world has noticed Marrakech. In 2025, the city is expecting more than 7 million visitors, arriving daily from New York, Lisbon, Zurich, Dubai, Oslo and beyond. Marrakech is no longer a detour — it’s the destination.

And oh, the people who’ve come to the red city… Madonna celebrated her 60^th birthday here. David Beckham brought the family. Rihanna posed in the palms, Brad Pitt shot something that wasn’t a movie, Gigi Hadid posed somewhere that wasn’t a runway, and Meryl Streep, we hear, bought a rug. Cristiano Ronaldo looked at a riad. Possibly ours. (We couldn’t possibly say.) but we certainly cam confirm thst we had Gerard Butler came to stay at Riad Tizwa between filming.

But amidst the glamour, there’s continuity. At Riad Tizwa, we’ve always focused on what matters: light on the tiles in the morning; mint tea on the roof terrace at dusk; the same beautifully crafted, homemade breakfast we’ve been serving since the days before Instagram. The city has changed — of course it has — but the soul remains. And Dar El Bacha, once a sleepy backwater, is now the most elegant and effortlessly stylish address in the Medina.

Thank you all for visiting – every single one of you. Please watch out for special offers and celebrations for our 20^thbirthday and get ready to raise a glass or two (of tea), delicious meals and continued serenity at Dar El Bacha.

So, here’s to many more years, of candles lit, guests welcomed, keys handed over, and memories made. Marrakech has never been more alive — and we’re still right here, in the very best bit of it.