Great women don’t always make the history books. For every formidable leader, intellectual rebel or genre-defining artist whose name echoes down the ages, countless others are forgotten or erased. But in some cities, renowned women have left an unmistakable imprint. Take a tour from ancient Egypt to 20th-century France and see the world through the eyes of seven mighty women.

Hatshepsut’s Memorial Temple in Luxor – backdrops don’t come much more dramatic than this © Nick Brundle Photography / Getty Images

Hatshepsut, long-reigning female pharaoh: Luxor, Egypt

Centuries before Cleopatra commanded armies and charmed the rulers of the Roman Empire, Hatshepsut (approx 1508–1458 BC) rose to power. Appointed a regent when her husband Thutmose II died, Hatshepsut became the first woman to obtain the full powers of the pharaoh title. During her 20-year reign, she commissioned monumental temples, some of which stand today.

Start at Luxor Temple, whose towering columns and sphinxes are an expansion (by Amenhotep III) of an earlier shrine created by Hatshepsut. Some 7km northwest on the Nile’s west bank is Hatshepsut’s Memorial Temple. Carved into an amphitheatre of 300m-high cliffs, the spectacular multi-storey temple has shrines to Anubis, god of the dead, and to primeval cow-headed goddess Hathor; look for the relief showing Hatshepsut drinking from the goddess’ udder. A little further northwest is the Valley of the Kings, the royal cemetery where Hatshepsut’s winding tomb, shared with her father Thutmose I, lies almost 100m deep.

Soon after her death, Hatshepsut’s name was chiselled away from her temples. But despite efforts to reduce the pharaoh queen to dust, Hatshepsut’s colossal monuments have withstood the centuries.

St Petersburg’s magnificent Hermitage, a complex of palaces built on Catherine the Great’s command © Yarygin / Getty Images

Catherine the Great, epoch-defining empress: St Petersburg, Russia

St Petersburg sparkles with palaces linked to the life of Catherine II (1729–1796), Empress of Russia. Catherine’s reign is regarded as a golden age: she used Enlightenment ideals to push social reforms and the Russian Empire grew in stature and size (according to some estimates, by more than 500,000 sq km).

The complex now known as the Hermitage is housed in palaces built on Catherine’s command. Its museums hold Russia’s most impressive trove of art, a 360-room collection started by Catherine herself. Adjoining the museums is the Winter Palace, resplendent in green, gold and white, where Catherine addressed a baying crowd and declared her son the ruler of Russia.

Admire more of Catherine’s handiwork 25km south of central St Petersburg at the Tsarskoe Selo imperial estate. Catherine Palace was badly damaged during World War II but its stucco and gold exterior has been restored to its earlier magnificence. Armed with an audio guide, explore its Great Hall, huge dining rooms and Portrait Hall, which includes a painting of Catherine II in regal pose.

Enter the Forbidden City, Beijing, realm of the formidable Empress Cixi © Hung_Chung_Chih / Getty Images

Empress Cixi, iron-willed ruler and reformer: Beijing, China

Sightseeing in Beijing brings glimpses of the storied reign of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908). One of the most powerful women in China’s long history, Cixi rose through the ranks of the Xianfeng emperor’s concubines and helped to orchestrate a coup after his death. Cixi became feared and admired, a grand puppeteer of the government right until her death.

It’s easy to lose hours dawdling across the ornamental bridges and pavilions of Beijing’s Summer Palace. Look for the marble boat (actually partly wooden); Cixi is said to have ordered its restoration in 1893, ironically with money that had been destined to fund the navy. On the other side of the lake, the Dragon King Temple is where Cixi implored the god of weather to bring rain.

Cixi held court in the Forbidden City, 20km southeast. The Palace of Eternal Spring and the Palace of Gathered Elegance were both renovated on her instructions, disrupting the original layout – a design choice befitting an empress so fond of upending established orders.

Street art marking the birthplace of pioneering scientist Marie Sklodowska-Curie in Warsaw, Poland © Slowcentury / Getty Images

Marie Curie, prize-winning physicist and chemist: Warsaw, Poland

Double Nobel laureate Marie Curie (1867–1934) was immensely proud of her Polish identity. Curie named one of the elements she discovered, polonium, after her homeland. Though the world remembers her married name, the multi-disciplinary scientist never discarded her Polish surname.

Accordingly, it’s the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Museum that honours her legacy in her birth city, Warsaw. Take a turn inside the reconstructed 18th-century building, which displays Curie’s original documents and belongings. Curie made an enormous contribution to developing the theory of radioactivity and pioneered the use of radioactive isotopes to battle tissue growth, the bedrock of many modern-day cancer treatments. Tragically, the scientific apparatus on display ultimately doomed Curie, who died from radiation-related illness.

Bombing campaigns in 1939 and 1944 flattened Warsaw, but the Old Town was carefully rebuilt using the same bricks. Stroll across the Unesco-listed Old Town Square to admire 13th-century merchant houses and Renaissance-style facades, as ornate as they were during Curie’s lifetime.

The Anne Frank House in the Old Central district of Amsterdam gives a chilling insight into a troubled time © Anamejia / Getty Images

Anne Frank, World War II diarist: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

No single voice has captured the anguish of World War II, nor issued a clarion call for world peace, quite like Anne Frank (1929–45). Published by Frank’s father after she perished in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, the diary recounts the family’s two years in hiding in Amsterdam. Frank’s observations about life at the threshold between childhood and adulthood are pin-sharp.

The family hid in a bookcase-concealed area within 263 Prinsengracht, the business premises of Frank’s father. The narrow brick building, a typical 17th-century merchant house, has been conserved as a museum. Its 15,000-item collection movingly portrays the family’s life in hiding and displays Frank’s original diary. Close by, outside the Renaissance Westerkerk, a slender cast-iron statue of Frank gazes towards the sky.

Borrow a bike from one of several rental stations nearby and pedal east to Nieuwe Amstelstraat. Here the Jewish Historical Museum explains the history of Amsterdam’s pre-war Jewish community; it’s also the starting point for tours of the Jewish Quarter. The history is oftentimes bleak, but Frank’s legacy offers a glimmer of hope.

Cafe Les Deux Magots, a favoured haunt of Simone de Beauvoir, writer of the seminal feminist treatise The Second Sex © Oleg Albinsky / Getty Images

Simone de Beauvoir, writer and philosopher: Paris, France

Twentieth-century Paris’s most celebrated woman writer destroyed antiquated notions of womanhood with a flick of her pen. In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) famously declared that ‘one is not born, but rather one becomes, a woman’. The idea that social conditioning shapes women continues to resonate.

Though Beauvoir travelled widely, the cafes of Paris are where she sharpened her ideas. At Les Deux Magots in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, tables and wicker chairs spill outside; but Beauvoir would usually be found inside, writing busily in a corner. Only a few steps away is Café de Flore, its art-deco interior faithfully preserved in the same style as when Beauvoir sparred with her life-long confidant and lover, the philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, within its walls.

Beauvoir’s story ends a short metro ride away in the 19th-century Cimetière du Montparnasse, where she shares a final, unadorned resting place with her beloved Sartre.

Conjure the colourful spirit of Frida Kahlo as you explore Mexico City’s Xochimilco Canals © Matt Mawson / Getty Images

Frida Kahlo, genre-shattering painter and feminist icon: Mexico City, Mexico

With their piercing gaze and defiant brow, the self-portraits of Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) are instantly recognisable. The androgyny of Mexico’s most celebrated woman artist – who cultivated facial hair and sported men’s suits as often as traditional dresses – made her an icon in her own time. Today Kahlo’s unflinching paintings, depicting the agonies of heartbreak and miscarriage, continue to captivate.

The artist spent many years living in the so-called Casa Azul (Blue House) in Mexico City. Now the Museo Frida Kahlo, it brims with objects from the painter’s life: jewellery, clothing, mementos and photographs depicting her and muralist husband Diego Rivera. Artwork collected by Kahlo is also displayed, an enriching insight into what inspired one of the world’s most inspirational women.

A half-hour taxi ride southeast are the Xochimilco Canals, adored by Kahlo and her husband Rivera. Kahlo’s passionate outlook never wavered, despite the many tragedies she lived through. Board a boat and glide across the waterways, listening to water-bound mariachi bands and sipping tequila; the colourful scene perfectly encapsulates Kahlo’s zest for life.

Tunisia, ribboned by a thousand kilometres of prime Mediterranean coastline and blessed with a sun-drenched interior, might not be the first place that comes to mind as a destination for tastebud-led travellers, but its foodie cred stretches all the way back to the ancient Romans, who claimed this productive agricultural land as the breadbasket of their empire. Today, plenty of places around the country offer under-the-radar food and drink experiences to entice any epicurean, if you know where to point your palate.

Fruit for sale at the market in Hammamet, Tunisia © Keren Su / Getty Images

Engage your senses at a local market

Every town and city in Tunisia has a centrally located produce market that should be your first port of call, preferably first thing in the morning. The hustle and bustle of these markets offer glimpses of everyday life while triggering all your senses. Above the cacophony of vendors calling out the prices of their produce, the heady scents of the spice market will pique your nostrils as you’re buffeted by hordes of shoppers stocking up on ingredients for soon-to-be-prepared meals. Feast your eyes on the rainbow of fruits and vegetables, neatly arranged mounds of colourful spices and woven baskets piled high with chickpeas, lentils, olives and almonds.

In bigger cities, the market will be positioned in the centre of town and often in a large covered market hall, such as the Marché Centrale in Tunis. In smaller towns, a certain day of the week is reserved for market day, and it takes place on a central square. There are separate sections where vendors hawk fresh fish, local produce and sometimes even houseplants and everyday household goods, including pots, pans and utensils.

A vendor lays out fish at his stall at Tunis’ Central Market © Richard I’Anson / Getty Images

A visit to a local market also provides a great introduction to the foods and ingredients that are front and centre in Tunisian cuisine. You’ll find some typical staples like harissa (chilli pepper paste), tabel (a heady mix of dried mint leaves, rose petals, ginger powder, ground peppercorns, coriander seeds, chilli powder and other spices), dates of the delicious Deglet Nour variety, olives, olive oil and round flat loaves of tabouna, Tunisia’s traditional bread. Sample them all – vendors are happy to offer a taste.

Enjoy a traditional Tunisian meal at a dar

Nothing beats the flavours of a home-cooked meal no matter where you are in the world, and Tunisian cuisine is rich, aromatic and a lot more diverse than the limited tourist menus of the usual couscous, kebab and brik a l’oeuf (a thin pastry filled with an egg yolk) found in most restaurants. Instead, sample a home-cooked Tunisian meal at a traditional dar hotel.

Get cooking with Amel in the kitchen of Dar Ben Gacem in Tunis © Dar Ben Gacem

At Dar Ben Gacem, tucked in an atmospheric lane of Tunis’ medina, you’ll feel like you’ve been invited to someone’s opulent family digs for a genuine home-cooked meal (after all, dar means ‘home’ in Arabic). Amel, the resident chef, cooks up dishes of couscous, Tunisian tajine (a baked egg dish), slata mechouia (grilled pepper salad), slata tounsia (tomato and cucumber salad) or rouz jerbi (steamed rice with vegetables and chicken) in the dar’s homely kitchen on request. Cooking classes are also on offer here, during which Amel reveals the secrets to preparing the perfect Tunisian-style couscous, her most requested dish. The experience starts with a visit to the Marché Central for the freshest of ingredients and then it’s straight to work in the kitchen with Amel, who shares her culinary expertise with the help of a translator.

Tunisia’s winemaking history has its roots in ancient Carthage © evryka23 / Getty Images

Sample Tunisian wine with a slice of history

Tunisia has a long history of winemaking that goes back to Phoenician times and the founding of Carthage. Its seven main wine-producing regions are concentrated in the north of the country, each with its specificities or terroir. Rosé fans are in luck – it’s the most common type of wine produced in Tunisia.

Wine tourism is a growing industry here, and has been given a much-needed boost with the launch of the Magon Wine Route in spring 2018. The trail is inspired by and named after Mago, an ancient Carthaginian writer who put together a handy guide describing the farming techniques of his era, including winemaking. Pairing wine tastings with visits to heritage sites, this series of three itineraries is managed by the cultural organisation ANIMED and led by expertly trained guides and oenologists.

The first wine trail starts with a toast at La Fontaine des Mille Amphores winery in Mégrine on the outskirts of Tunis, followed by a visit to the Bardo Museum, best known for its spectacular collection of Roman mosaics. The second itinerary takes wine and history lovers to the region of Grombalia on Cap Bon. Set in dramatic landscapes painted by wide expanses of lush vineyards is Domaine Neferis, named after an ancient city. Head to the tasting room tucked away in a 19th-century chateau and raise a glass of rosé to Mago. A subsequent stop at Nabeul’s archaeological museum offers the chance to see relics, such as the amphorae once used to store this precious liquid. On offer on the third route are samples of the vintages of Domaine Kurubis located near the town of Korba. This is combined with a visit to the ruins (and the remains of an ancient wine press) in Kerkouane, a Unesco World Heritage site just a short distance away.

Tunisia’s first olive oil bar and tasting room opened at the Ben Ismail family farm in 2018 © Réserve Familiale Ben Ismail

Taste Tunisia’s excellent olive oil

Another inheritance of Tunisia’s Carthaginian past is olive oil. While travelling through Tunisia, you can’t miss the agricultural importance of the olive tree. More than a third of the country is covered in olive groves, and olive oil is one of its most exported agricultural products. Olives have been pressed for oil here for more than two centuries, and more than a dozen olive varieties are native to Tunisia’s soil as well as others that have been imported from Italy and Greece. But the two main varieties are the fruity Chemlali olive, which grows in the central region around Sfax, and the more pungent Chetoui variety cultivated in the north.

In early 2018, Tunisia’s first olive oil bar and tasting room opened to visitors on the Ben Ismail family farm in Toukaber in northern Tunisia. This is the ancient site of the Roman city of Thuccabor in an achingly beautiful region of rolling hills and bucolic landscapes that’s well off the tourist trail. The Ben Ismail family has been attracting visitors to their idyllic farm thanks to their extra virgin olive oil Triomphe Thuccabor. This intense Chetoui oil has attracted the appreciation of judges at international competitions, where it has won several awards. Food lovers interested in learning more about olive oil making can see the production chain in action at the on-site mill, taste the family’s quality oils, join an expert workshop in olive oil tasting or just enjoy a quiet wander through the picturesque groves.

More than a third of Tunisia is covered in olive trees, including this grove outside the ancient Unesco-listed Roman ruins in Dougga © Cultura Exclusive / Philip Lee Harvey / Getty Images

Visit an educational organic farm

Organic agriculture is big in Tunisia, Africa’s second largest exporter of organic food products, and ecotourism is growing in popularity as organic farms open their gates to nature lovers. L’Heredium in Tebourba, 35km west of Tunis, is a family-run organic farm open to visitors every Sunday (or during the week by reservation) from September to June and is a popular day trip with local families looking for a respite from city life. At this educational farm, visitors can learn about permaculture and organic farming methods and share a brunch of local dishes prepared with the seasonal organic fruits, vegetables and grains grown here. A cheerful whitewashed farmhouse with a roof of crimson tiles and powder-blue windows and doors dominates the estate set in 10 hectares of groves of century-old olive trees.

Further afield, Dar El Henchir is a 100-year-old farm in a quiet agricultural setting near the town of Oueslatia (150km southwest of Tunis) overlooking the mountains of Jebel Oueslat and Jebel Serj. A French colonial villa welcomes guests looking to stay overnight, but if you don’t have time, you can book in for an organic meal prepared with seasonal ingredients grown on the farm. Late autumn is olive harvest time, and visitors are invited to join in: olives are picked by hand before being transported to a local mill for pressing. Organic honey and essential oils made of rosemary are also produced on site. Travellers can pull up their sleeves and take part in a cooking class and learn how to prepare typical Tunisian dishes or explore the surrounding mountain landscapes on bicycle or foot.

Buckets of spices, bread, fruit and veg are on offer at markets dotted across the whole of Tunisia © kukkaibkk / Getty Images

Make it happen

The Magon Wine Route can be booked via the official Facebook page or by contacting ANIMED by email (animed.sarl@gmail.com). For more wide-ranging adventures with a local flavour, sign up for a trip with knowledgeable guides at Tunisian Journeys or join a Taste Tunisia tour with Engaging Cultures.

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There’s something deeply satisfying about family travel by night train. The rhythmic, soporific pulsing is as good as a lullaby – even with kids excited about their bunk beds on wheels. A train’s reliable honesty, guided by unerring tracks, puts everyone at ease. And the seemingly effortless forward motion, requiring no attention from the passengers, allows for restful family time – talking, playing cards, eating an uninterrupted meal or even just getting some well-earned sleep.

But it’s the comfort and perhaps a sense of travel nostalgia – especially in some luxury night accommodation, and certainly in relation to that of other mass transit options like planes, buses or cars – that really seals the deal, all the more so when the journey involves kids, the elderly or less-mobile adults. How good is it to wake up in a new city having saved the cost of a hotel and gained time for sightseeing? Any concern about missing beautiful scenery along the way is quickly forgotten during a day maximised doing something other than spending hours in transit.

The Gelber gang on the Tehran to Shiraz night train © Ethan Gelber / Lonely Planet

All across the globe, night trains clickety-clack through the darkness, defying gravity in the Canadian and American Rockies, lacing together Europe’s many capitals, bringing culture alive in India and Iran, even reaching land speed records in China that challenge airlines for point-to-point ease and cost of transport.

Of course, not all family-friendly night trains are the same. So here are some personal favourites worthy of consideration. All aboard!

VIA Rail train travelling through the Canadian Rockies © grizzles / Shutterstock

VIA Rail’s Canadian, Canada

The Canadian runs an epic 4466km, five-day/four-night route between Toronto and Vancouver via Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper and, most spectacularly, the Canadian Rockies. The Sleeper Plus and Prestige classes include comfortable beds and freshly prepared restaurant-car meals, while Economy offers a reclining seat and café car.

All classes enjoy access to kid-favourite panorama cars with stunning views of changing scenery and sometimes musical entertainment. Children aged two to 11 get 50% off their rail fare and many other family needs have been anticipated, from proper changing tables in the bathrooms to free wi-fi, games and activity books and even designated spaces for larger groups to play.

Whether high-speed or at your own pace, train travel in China is ideal for families © KoOlyphoto / Shutterstock

China’s sleeper classes

In parallel with China’s rapidly expanding high-speed rail system are slower and cheaper sleepers with inexpensive seats or more costly and snug six-, four- and two-bed compartments. However, on routes between Běijīng and Shànghǎi or Xī’ān, for example, there are also sleek and very modern high-speed overnight trains. All night services have a buffet car and free boiling water.

Larger compartments are perfect for families, and children 12 and under may be eligible for discounts based on how many children are travelling and (rather unusually) their height. Families are recommended to bring their own food (or at least some decent supplies), avoid travelling during Chinese holidays and ideally book into a ‘soft sleeper’ – larger, quieter and more comfortable berths.

The berths on one of Egypt’s night trains © Ethan Gelber / Lonely Planet

Egypt’s Watania deluxe sleeper train

While there are several thousand kilometres of track in Egypt, the only year-round overnight service trundles between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. It’s a deluxe, air-conditioned train operated by a private company called El Watania, otherwise known as ERNST, with reclining seats and two-bed cabins equipped with private sinks. Cabin service also includes airplane-style dinners, breakfasts and hot drinks.

Adjoining cabins can be reserved for a family. Children aged four to nine pay a reduced fare; kids under four ride free, but don’t get a separate berth.

Swap the pre-bed routine for soaking up Europe’s gorgeous scenery © FamVeld / Shutterstock

Europe’s surviving sleepers

Europe is criss-crossed by rails, most now purpose-built for high-speed trains that increasingly dominate the long-distance transport scene. However, some overnight routes persist, particularly in eastern and northern Europe, as well as iconic services, like the Paris to Madrid ‘Francisco de Goya’ hotel train or the London to Scotland Caledonian Sleeper.

Night trains provide comfortable options for every budget, including reclining seats, family-suited six- or four-berth couchettes (padded bunks with bed fixings) and fancier private sleeping cabins. Children and families usually pay reduced fares in Europe, but the rules vary by country. Be aware that ‘children travel for free’ often means at the cost of their own seat.

Ignite the travel nostalgia across all generations with a train journey across India © Black Salmon / Shutterstock

Indian Railways’ overnighters

Any journey to India must include a ride on India Railways. If nothing else, it’s a fantastic way to meet the people. Overnight routes are common; from Delhi alone, night trains go to Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaisalmer, Chennai, Udaipur, Benares among many other destinations.

Travelling families might be well-suited to a two-tier, four-berth, air-conditioned compartment, either AC2 (second class with curtains) or AC1 (first-class, enclosed). Rajdhani Express include meals in the fare. Children aged five to 11 pay adult prices if occupying reserved berths (recommended!) or half fare without.

Let the Iranian night trains transport you to magical cities like Yazd © Leonid Andronov / Shutterstock

Iranian Railways

With complimentary snacks and drinks waiting in the compartment on arrival, the top-notch first impressions of the Iran Rail night services leaving Tehran set the tone for a memorable trip across the country’s vast central desert plains to cities like Esfahan, Shiraz, Yazd, Gorgan, Kerman and Tabriz.

First-class carriages contain four- or six-berth sleepers, perfect for families, with built-in screens for Persian movies. Additional food is served along the way or is available in the restaurant car. Children aged two to 12 pay half price.

Los Angeles’ Amtrak lounge car © Supannee_Hickman / Shutterstock

Amtrak routes, USA

Amtrak helps knit the US together through evocatively-named, long-distance services with quality sleeping options. The Coastal Starlight is the most popular and stunning route, running for 36 hours between Seattle and Los Angeles; while from Chicago, the Empire Builder, California Zephyr and Southwest Chief push through the Rockies to the west coast at Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.

Overnight options for families include wide reclining chairs with adjustable footrests and a multitude of different rooms from cosy ‘roomettes’ to four-person bedrooms and even larger family rooms. All services have a café and a sit-down dining car. Kids two to 12 save 50% on adult rail fares, but pay full accommodation charges.

Older kids might be best served to enjoy these icons, but there’s family fun to be had by anyone up for an adventure © Romrodphoto / Shutterstock

Multi-day overnight icons

Of course, there are other epic rail journeys that merit families’ full indulgence, including the world’s most iconic overnighters. The Ghan is a multi-day, luxury train that barrels through Australia’s fabled Red Centre between Adelaide and Darwin via Alice Springs. With off-train excursions and plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife amongst the ochre-hued Red Centre during the day, this sleeper train isn’t just a hotel on wheels, it’s the whole package.

The Trans-Siberian Railway spans mind-spinning distances of Siberian tundra and taiga between Moscow or St Petersburg and Vladivostok, with branch lines to Běijīng. Without stops, the route takes roughly a week to complete so it’s worth breaking up the journey. For a real change of pace, the rail route between Cape Town, South Africa, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, carries super-luxury tourist trains right through the heart of Southern and East Africa. This epic 15-day escape is ideal for families looking to thread together several mini adventures. Be advised that the Trans-Siberian and Cape Town to Dar es Salaam trains do not have child-specific amenities, so may be better-suited to older kids or adolescents.

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As Fez is the spiritual capital of Morocco, it’s only fitting that the annual Festival of Sufi Culture should take place here each October. Sufism, the esoteric branch of Islam that promises bliss, mysticism and spiritual ecstasy, has a strong heritage in the country.

A week’s worth of discussions, round-tables, concerts and performances by Sufi brotherhoods are on offer in spectacular venues across Fez’s medieval medina, and this festival is one of the leading Sufi events in the world today. However, you don’t need to be a Sufi or even register at the conference to enjoy the musical offerings, as all are welcome at these events.

Discussions and debates at the Festival of Sufi Culture take place in the magnificent Medersa Bou Inania, in the Fez medina © Izzet Keribar / Getty Images

Learn about Sufism at the festival conference

For Sufis, it’s the conference that is of greatest importance. Topics under the microscope can include Women in Sufism, Sufism and Contemporary Art, Spirituality and Human Rights, and Sufism in Life Coaching. Participants from the world over take part in the debates, including international lawyers, sociologists, proponents of interfaith dialogue, writers and philosophers, led by anthropologist and founder of the festival, Dr Faouzi Skali. Two sessions of debates are held each day at the magnificent Medersa Bou Inania, although the proceedings are in French with no simultaneous translation. It costs Dh500 for all sessions, or Dh50 per session, which run from 10am to noon and 3pm to 5pm.

Singers from the Tariqa (brotherhood) Qadiriyya from Bosnia perform during the Festival of Sufi Culture © Thierry Bresillon / Godong / Getty Images

Join in the trance at the free Sufi Nights

Most evenings, Sufi tariqas (brotherhoods) perform in the Jnan Sbil Gardens just outside the city walls. They sing poems and songs of praise through which they aspire to attain hadra, a trance-like connection to God. Followers in the audience join in the singing and clapping. As the music gathers pace, participants start to sway or jump up and down. Sitting among the trees in the garden on a cool, autumnal evening, you can enjoy this fascinating experience that can be truly uplifting, and it’s free of charge.

In a beautiful performance, Sufis spin to get closer to God © Thierry Bresillon / Godong / Getty Images

Experience Sufi music at the concerts

An afternoon concert is usually held at the French Institute’s lovely riad, Dar Batha. This is often a poetry reading, such as The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, set to music. The sultan’s walled parade ground, Bab Al Makina, is the venue for three large-scale evening concerts. The opening and closing concerts are grand affairs featuring various singers and a Moroccan orchestra, and are based on the festival’s theme – for 2018, the theme is the Divine Presence in Sufism.

Don’t miss a performance at Bab Al Makina by whirling dervishes from Turkey who often attend the festival. Seated in a circle, the Sheikh, or teacher of the group, leads the Sufis in spiritual songs, while dervishes in tall hats and long cloaks wait on the periphery until they are called by the hadra. Then, shedding their cloaks to reveal white outfits, they raise their right arm with their hand open to heaven, while the left points downwards to transmit heavenly grace to earth. They start to spin, slowly and with great dignity, their skirts spooling out around them. It’s magical. The event costs Dh200 to attend.

Book accommodation in advance near Bab Bou Jeloud, also known as the Blue Gate, the main entrance to the medina © nonimatge / Getty Images

Make it happen

The Sufi Festival doesn’t attract the large numbers of attendees that its big sister does, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in May or June. But October is a very busy month in Morocco, so book accommodation early, especially if you’d like to be close to festival venues, the Jnan Sbil Gardens and Bab Al Makina. The Bou Jeloud and Douh areas of the medina are well placed, with lots of accommodation options. The Medersa Bou Inania, one of the main historic buildings in the medina, is closed to visitors during the conference.

A pass to all events costs Dh1450, or tickets can be purchased at the events themselves. Find more information (some in English) on the festival’s website.

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