Dar Bellarj, the House of Storks

In front of you is Dar Bellarj, whose name means 'the house of storks'. Today it's a cultural centre, but its story begins with birds that have always received special treatment in Marrakech.

1A hospital for birds

According to the sources that tell its history, an old fondouk, or inn, once stood on this site, where injured or sick storks were cared for. The building you see went up in the 20th century and was later used as a school. In the late 1990s two Swiss architects, Susanna Biedermann and Max Alioth, restored it and set up a foundation here devoted to the living culture of Marrakech, which opened in 1999.

2Men turned into birds

Why look after storks? Edward Westermarck, who studied Moroccan beliefs in the early 20th century, recorded a widespread idea: storks were people who had been transformed into birds. In some versions they were punished for a wrongdoing; in others, they are pilgrims or judges. That's why harming them was considered bad luck.

In Marrakech, according to tradition, killing a stork was almost like killing a person.

Whatever its origin, the belief helps explain why these birds nest undisturbed on the walls of El Badi Palace and on so many minarets, and why they are still part of the city's skyline today.

3What to look for

• The great wooden door at the entrance.
• The white courtyard with its fountain, if the door is open.
• The nearby rooftops: with luck you'll spot a nest.