Sleepless in Marrakech

First, in the dark of night before day-break, comes the muffled but rhythmic 4:00 AM call to prayer; to the left, to the right, from mosque to mosque throughout the medina, the central and oldest part of town.   Drift into sleep before dawn breaks with the 05:00 am bird song and chatter, which gets louder and louder as it reverberates back and forth, from the orange fruit trees in the courtyard to the thick walls of the traditional homes and riads.