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 Marrakech or Marrakesh, known as the "Red City" or "Al Hamra," lies in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and is the second largest city in Morocco after Casablanca. It’s not a place of great monuments. Its beauty and attraction lie in the general atmosphere and spectacular location - with the magnificent peaks of the Atlas rising right up behind the city, hazy in the heat of summer and shimmering white with the winter snow. Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, it comprises both an old fortified city (the médina, which although substantially in ruins at the beginning of the twentieth century, was rebuilt and expanded during the years of French rule) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz). It has the largest traditional souk in Morocco and the bustling Place Djemaâ el Fna is the biggest square in the African continent. It has always been a popular destination with foreigners – either to visit or to settle in – and today has a very large international community, mainly of Europeans.
History of Marrakech Before the advent of the Berber Almoravid dynasty in the 11th century, much of north-west Africa and the tribes of the Atlas mountains had been ruled from the city of Aghmat, about 30 km east of Marrakech. The Almoravid leader Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar commenced work on the new capital of Marrakech in 1070, and the city was finally completed by Abu-Bakr’s deputy and successor Yusuf ibn Tashfin. It probably took the initial form of a camp and market with a ksour , or fortified town gradually developing round it, but under Yusuf ibn Tashfin’s son craftsmen and architects from Córdoba worked on the new city: palaces, baths and mosques were built; underground channels were built to provide water for the town and the growing palmery; and, in 1126-27, the first seven-kilometre circuit of walls was raised, replacing an earlier stockade of thorn bushes. Marrakech’s greatest period was during the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184-1199), when many poets and scholars moved into the city and several major building projects including the Koutoubia Mosque , the El Mansouria mosque and a kasbah in the medina were built. Thereafter the city faded into decay and was superceded by Fez as Morocco’s capital city until the Saadian dynasty, who took the city in 1521provided a last burst of imperial splendour before it again fell victim to dynastic rivalry . Places to see Marrakech is full of wonderful places to visit, things to see and experience. This is just a few of the most significant: Djemaâ el Fna
 Djemaâ el Fna is the busiest square in the entire continent of Africa, and bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, snake charmers, water sellers, drummers, fairground acts, dancers and musicians by day. By night it becomes a huge open-air restaurant filled with food stalls. Adjacent to the square, is the Souk, or market, with winding streets offering traditional handicrafts, leather crafted goods, carpets, clothes, spices and many other items native to the city. More >> The Majorelle Garden
 Designed by the expatriate French artist Jacques Majorelle in 1924, during Morocco’s French colonial period, the garden has been open to the public since 1947 and is presently owned by the designer Yves Saint-Laurent. It is a creative masterpiece filled with exotic plants and birds. The garden also houses the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech, whose collection includes North African textiles from Saint-Laurent's personal collection as well as ceramics, jewelry, and paintings by Majorelle. A special shade of bold cobalt blue which he used extensively in the garden and its buildings is named after the artist, Majorelle bleu. The Saadian tombs
 The tombs date to the time of the sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur (1578-1603), and because of the beauty of their decoration, been a major attraction for visitors of Marrakech since their discovery in 1917 and restoration. The mausoleum comprises the corpses of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty; amongst the tombs are those of Ahmad I al-Mansur and his family. Koutoubia Mosque
 The Koutoubia, built in the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184-1199), is Marrakech’s largest mosque and considered the ultimate structure of its kind. The tower is 69 m (221 ft) in height and has a lateral length of 12.8 m (41 ft). Six rooms (one above the other) constitute the interior; leading around them is a ramp by way of which the muezzin could ride up to the balcony. The tower is adorned with four copper globes; according to legend, they were originally made of pure gold, and there were once supposed to have been only three. The fourth was donated by the wife of Yaqub al-Mansur as compensation for her failure to keep the fast for one day during the month of Ramadan. She had her golden jewelry melted down to fashion the fourth globe. More >> Eating and drinking Marrakesh eating and entertainment options break down less rigidly than usual between the Ville Nouvelle, in this case Gueliz, and the Medina. Gueliz , naturally enough, is where you'll find most of the city's French-style cafés, bistros and restaurants, and virtually all the bars. In the Medina , however, there's plenty of choice for meals, including the spectacle of the Djemaa El Fna food stalls, many inexpensive café-restaurants, and a number of upmarket palace-restaurants (a couple of which offer Morocco's traditional cuisine at its very best). Medina cafés and restaurants
Recommendations for the Medina span the range: from 30dh to 550dh a head; from a bench in the Djemaa El Fna to the most sumptuous palace decor. Only the places listed under "Moderate" or "Expensive" are licensed to sell alcohol. ...
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Djemaa El Fna foodstalls
Even if you don't eat at one of them, at some stage you should at least wander down the makeshift lane of food stalls at the north end of the Djemaa El Fna. They look great in the evening, lit by lanterns, and have boundless variety. To partake, just take...
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Gueliz restaurants
Although Gueliz is not so picturesque a setting for a meal, it would be a mistake to dismiss it entirely as modern and French. It is, after all, the city's main centre and its restaurants are generally good value, while the pricier ones are licensed. If...
read more >> Recommended Links for Visitors to Marrakech: Destination Guides > Africa & Middle East > Morocco > Marrakesh |
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