The meaning of Marrakech

The Red City, the Ochre City, The Land of God, or as we all know it Marrakech, Marrakesh, Marraquexe. This amazing, vibrant city hosts Africa’s busiest square, the Djemma el fnaa, an unesco world heritage site.

But what does Marrakesh actually mean?

Well, this is still under debate, some say it comes from the amazigh words: words amur (n) akush (ⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⴰⴽⵓⵛ), which means “Land of God”. In a manuscript from Fez from the 11th century the city was documented as the “country of the sons of Kush”.

From medieval times until around the beginning of the 20th century, the entire country of Morocco was known as the “Kingdom of Marrakesh”, as the kingdom’s historic capital city was often Marrakech. The name for Morocco is still “Marrakesh” (مراكش) to this day in Persian and Urdu as well as many other South Asian languages. Various European names for Morocco (Marruecos, Marrocos, Maroc, Marokko, etc.) are directly derived from the amazigh word Murakush. Conversely, the city itself was in earlier times simply called Marocco City (or similar) by travelers from abroad.

Our 4 magical Riads, Riad Spice, Riad Star, Riad Cinnamon and Riad Papillon, which are located in the heart of this impressive city are the perfect base from which to explore the rich and captivating history of Mur akush. Contact our reservations team now to book a stay with us.