Marrakesh is a former imperial city in western Morocco and also called the “red city” because of its buildings and ramparts of beaten clay which were built during the residence of the Almohads. The heart of the medina is Jamaa el-Fna square, a vibrant marketplace. The city is a major economic center and home to mosques, palaces and gardens. The medina is a densely packed, walled medieval city dating to the Berber Empire, with mazelike alleys where thriving souks (marketplaces) sell traditional textiles, pottery and jewelry. A symbol of the city, and visible for miles, is the Moorish minaret of 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque.
The surviving original palace, city walls, and water system earned this city a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, before it evolved into a hippie destination in the 60s. Marrakech remains undying beautiful. The whole city is built in Islamic architectural style from pink sandstone, which is where the city gets its nickname The Pink City. Visitors to Marrakech usually start their explorations at Jemaa-el-Fnaa, a central market square with everything from antiques and handicraft to food stalls and snake charmers! Walk further to the Souk, a labyrinthine market where clothes, accessories, leather, spices and more are sold.
Marrakech is also home to many historical and cultural attractions, such as Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Koutoubia Mosque, Menara Garden and Majorelle Garden, which houses the Museum of Islamic Arts, the Museum of Berber, and the Musee Yves Saint Laurent, a fashion designer who owns the property.
Where to go:
1. Jama El f’na
2. Bahia Palace
3. Koutoubia
4. Saadien’s Tombs
5. Dar Si Said Museum
The museum was built during the second half of the 19th century by si said Ben Moussa order who as a minister under the regency of his brother Ba hmad. It’s pretty residence in the testimony of the local architectural art in the end of 19th century in Morocco. Then from 1930, a museum and crafts workshops were installed.
Opening hours: open every day except Tuesday, from 9.00 am to 17.00 pm
Admission: 10 dhs
Website: http://www.minculture.org.ma
Location: Derb El Bahia – Riad Zitoun El Jdid
6. El Badii Palace
Dar el Badii, the unrivalled palace was built between 1578 and 1603 by Yacoub el Mansour, an almohade ruler. El Badii Palace was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty sometime shortly after his accession in 1578. The palace’s construction was funded by a substantial ransom paid by the Portuguese after the Battle of the Three Kings.
Opening hours: open daily from 9.00 am to 16.45 pm
Admission: 10 dhs. and 10 extra dhs to see the Koutoubia minbar.
Location: Ksibat Nhass. Place Tinsmiths. Cross Bab Berrima and turn right between the high walls.
7. Menara Gardens
8. Musée de Marrakech
9. Medina of Marrakesh
10. Almoravid Koubba
11. Yves Saint Laurent Museum
12. Dar Si Said
13. House of Photography in Marrakech
14. Le Jardin Secret
15. Tiskiwin Museum
16. Ben Youssef Mosque
17. Jemaa el-Fna Town square
18. Museum of mouassine Douiria Derb el Hammam
19. Minaret de la Koutoubia
20. Musée Berbère Jardin Majorelle (Museum of Moroccan Berber culture)
21. Palooza Land
Palooza Land is amusement park with rides and shows such as robotic dinosaurs, a haunted house and swimming pools, plus rides and many of performances.
22. Mhamid Marrakech
23. Mhamid Marrakech
24. Bab Debbagh
25. El Mouassine Mosque
