A House in the Orient

• An Eastern dream… In the heart of the Medina, a few steps from the Jemaa el-Fna square, Erwan opens the doors of his house. From this authentic Dar built in 1804, he revived the taste of Orientalism, an idea of the East, the Campaign of Egypt, Delacroix's Voyage in Morocco, a crazy dream by Pierre Loti.

  "Riad Tibibt makes its occupants travel, in space, as in time."

  ''I wanted that travellers experienced life in a real oriental palace, but the one that gives birth in our collective unconscious in the nineteenth century! The lascivious life of Moroccan noble houses for centuries." : that's what guided Erwan Braud when he revived Riad Tibibt. A frequent traveller, a herbalist pharmacist, and a decorator at heart, a specialist in curiosity cabinets where the Directory meets Orientalism and contemporary photographers; he made the Riad Tibibt, a real jewel - or rather: a cave of Ali Baba! Because, here, all the furniture and the precious objects are gathered, right down to the smallest detail! As if Bonaparte had hidden the bag of Cairo, behind the great red and white striped curtains- like the aunts of the Egyptian country- which close the great eastern doors of the patio.

  At Riad Tibibt, the details flow with elegance: here an engraving of the nineteenth century, there a photo of Denis Dailleux, elsewhere trundle ebony and ivory tables found in the souk of Cairo. Even in the rooms, like the alcoves of the women of the harem, enriched by precious furniture and antique engravings, coming from the antique dealers of the four corners of the world. In each room, there is a bathroom with an art deco basin and a walk-in shower or a claw-foot bathtub. Charm, luxury and discretion, sweetly conjugated.

  On the flat roof, a huge terrace of beige tadelak, overlooks the trees of the patio. Arbours of white wood, like those of Pompeian villas, shades the rattan loungers inviting to rest. No vis a vis, everything invites to sunbathing. Only the singing of birds, in the distance the rumours of the place and its snake charmers, no noise from the west.

  Finally, a large pool whose water ripples flowing along the wall, refreshes the large patio of the Riad, like an oriental jungle, large banana trees and orange trees in bloom. Nerouli is everywhere! From room soaps to grilled pomegranate dishes, the little white flower of the bitter orange charm all your senses. In summer, the cool of the basin is reborn, emerging from the suffocating heat of the souks with the heady smells of leather and spices. Beauty is in the details, tastes and smells, and under Erwan's impulse, the Tibibt Raid has become a place of absolute fantasy. Above all, it is also a paradise for dreamers of all nationalities. A paradise hidden, but found.