The name Bob Marley represents one of the most iconic brands ever produced by Jamaica. Although Marley, the consummate exponent of reggae music died in 1981, his popularity has never waned. Instead, Bob Marley has become a legend.

Marley was born in the Nine Miles districtof St Ann. He spent his childhood years in the community and now rests in a mausoleum on the grounds, which also houses the mausoleum of his mother, Cedella Marley Booker and the tombs of his grandparents.

The Marley treat at Nine Miles stands out with its bright colours-the red, green and gold associated with Rastafarians. The excursion area is clean and well developed. A guided tour enables visitors to see all the resting places as well as other relics from Marley’s and his family’s past.

The expedition begins with a look at the building Marley’s grandparents lived in and where he spent the first six months of his life before his mother moved into her own home, a short distance away. Following this, visitors will be taken to a mini museum which displays mounted vinyl records of some of Marley’s most highly rated albums and songs. Also in this room are relics from his mother’s past, such as a specially commissioned chair, as well as a doll made in her image.

Visitors will then be led to climb Mount Zion-said to be the inspiration for many of Marley’s songs-to see his home on the hill. On the way up, visitors will also be able to glimpse the graves of Marley’s grandparents and one of his uncles.

Nestled at the top of Mount Zion is Marley’s carefully preserved childhood home, where visitors are free to explore, however, no pictures and videos are allowed to be taken while inside.

The next stop on the tour is the mausoleum of Marley’s mother, Cedella Marley-Booker, where visitors must remove their shoes before entering. The mausoleum is decorated with candles and relics from Marley-Booker’s life, with additional notes and articles left by visitors decorating the spaces within the building.

The final leg of the tour- which is no doubt the most anticipated-is that of Marley’s mausoleum, which is located directly beside his mother’s. Similar in structure to his mother’s, there are many artifacts that enable visitors to see a glimpse of Marley’s life. There are also numerous notes from and pictures of visitors to be found within his mausoleum, so many that there is not enough space to display all the keepsakes left by previous visitors.

Visitors here are again expected to their remove shoes before entering, and proceed around the mausoleum in a clockwise direction. Marley is housed in the mausoleum along with his half-brother, Anthony Booker.

A prominent part of the Nine Miles community is the infant school named in honour of Cedella Marley Booker.