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Queen of the Desert
Actress Nicole Kidman is currently in Morocco shooting the biopic ‘Queen of the Desert’ based on the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell a writer archeologist and diplomat who played a key role in establishing the modern states of Jordan at the end of the nineteenth century.
Jemaa el-Fnaa – storytellers of the square
The tradition of storytelling is a Moroccan practice which has been taking place in the central square of Marrakech for many hundreds of years. Much like snake charming, acrobatics and copper working, good storytelling is a revered art which demands natural talent as well as many years of practice. Across the corners of Morocco, storytelling or […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – the Medina Mosque
Overshadowing the central square of Marrakech is the stunning sight of the Medina, or Argana Mosque. Hugging the North-Western reaches of the Jemaa el-Fnaa aside of Souk Jdid, the Argana Mosque has no Qur’anic school and exists solely as a space of prayer, acting as a key religious location for local Marrakshi, especially during the […]
Moroccan style – the traditional Djellaba
New fashions come and go through the red city of Marrakech, yet there is one piece of clothing with has stayed for centuries, this is the traditional Moroccan Djellaba. Worn by both men and women, you can expect to see Djellabas worn on a day to day to basis in the streets of the red […]
Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī – religious festival in Marrakech
There are a number of key religious celebrations that take place in Morocco, the exact dates of which constantly change in keeping with the Islamic calender which follows the lunar cycle. One such celebration is Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī (the festival of the birth of the prophet Mohammed) which takes place in Rabi’ al-awwal, the third month of […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – Boxing
For many hundreds of years, the Jemaa el-Fnaa square of Marrakech has played host to a wide range of markets, a plethora of unimaginable spectacles and all forms of entertainment imaginable. Indeed, in the red city today, very little has changed. A short stroll through Marrakech’s central square could involve an encounter with anything from a Berber […]
Marrakech Medina – Moroccan scarves
If you step out of the doors of the Riad Cinnamon and stroll past the Ben Youssef mosque, you will encounter the numerous scarf stalls that line the walls in the direction of Souk Semmarine. The stalls showcase kaleidoscopic arrangements of vivid colours and patterning, the likes of which can not be found in the city market […]
Souk el Bahja – the place of lovers
In the North-Eastern reaches of the ancient central square of Marrakech between Souk Semmarine and Café de France you will discover Souk el Bahja. Meaning literally ‘up and down’ in the Moroccan Darija dialect of Arabic, Souk el Bahja gets its name from the three floors of iron stairs that allow you to traverse through the labyrinthine […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – Ba Mahjoub the bird trainer
At the very centre of Marrakech is Jemaa el-Fnaa. For hundreds of years this central square has acted as the beating heart and mouthpiece of the red city, and is home to markets, food stalls and street performers of a huge variety. One individual you might expect to encounter in the square is Ba Mahjoub […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – Rue Moulay Rachid
Rue Moulay Rachid or L’Prince as local Marrakshi call it, stretches from the reaches of the hotel Grand Tazi to the Café Grand Terrace. You will discover L’Prince to be a thriving area of the red city, where the huge of variety of shops, restaurants and café’s keep the district humming with activity all through the […]
Moroccan Winter soup – harira
During the chilly winters of Marrakech, where the temperature drops from 40°C Summer highs to below 8°C, there is one Moroccan delicacy that you will see on almost every dinner table, this is Harira soup. Any local Marrakshi will tell you that the best harira soup is home-made, usually consisting of flour, lentils, cermicelli, beans, […]
Festival and fantasia – Tamaslouht Musem and Tbourida
About 30 kilometres to the South of the red city of Marrakech in the direction of Lalla Takerkoust lake, a small festival takes place in memory of the saint Moulay Abdellah Ben Hussain. This festival is called the Tamaslouht Musem (festival) and Tbourida (fantasia) and it occurs on the last week of January. On the first […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – Chasing lemonade
In the hustle and bustle of Marrakech’s central square, you can find everything from snake charmers to magicians. That’s not to say that Jemaa el-Fnaa is a space strictly for the weird and the wonderful, one public game that you will find being played day or night by tourists and locals alike is ‘chasing lemonade’. […]
Marrakech street food – moul seikok
A short stroll through the winding labyrinthine streets of the red city of Marrakech will lead you to encounter a huge variety of traditional street foods being sold. One such dish is moul seikok, a fusion of steamed semolina seeds and milk. If you are strolling through one of Marrakech’s many souks, you may hear […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – holistic remedies of the desert
If you take a short stroll through the central square of Marrakech (known as Jemaa el-Fnaa) you will encounter all kinds of spices, herbs and medicinal products, many of which are made from the unique commodity of the Argan nut. Located in the Eastern corner of the square however, is an area dedicated to showcasing […]
The Mowahad king and his doctor – Kennaria quarter
Photo: J Schalkwijk Just East of the central square of Marrakech, standing between the Dabachi and Riad Zitun Jdid districts is the Kennaria quarter. No one is quite sure where the name of the quarter originates from, some say from the canary bird, others the canary cactus and the rest say it’s possible that the […]
The Arsat gardens of Marrakech
‘Arsat’ is a term coined by the 19th century writer and Islamic scholar Hocine El Yamani, it’s meaning is to indicate the urban spaces which were cultivated and transformed into botanical gardens by the order of the kings of the Alaouite dynasty. These gardens have held a key significance in Moroccan culture for many centuries, […]
The dagger clans of Mouassine
Like many areas of the red city of Marrakech, the Mouassine district has a history spanning hundreds of years. Previously called Houmat Abi Abidan, the name for this well-known part of the city came to be called Mouassine at some point in the 16th century after a large clan of Jewish settlers came to the area. […]
The Almoravid Dynasty and Moul Lksour
In the neighbourhood of Dar el Bacha there lies an ancient history of royalty, wealth and opulence of the former Almoravid Empire. About a thousand years ago, the area served a a residential and administrative sector for the princes and dignitaries who belonged to the dynasty. Yet the neighbourhood also holds a rich cultural significance for […]
Jemaa el-Fnaa – Fruit sellers
Where the growth of dates and the celebrated Argan nut thrive in Morocco’s arid climate, it’s only possible for tropical fruits such as coconut and pineapple to grow in the more humid parts of the country. That’s not to say that they won’t be seen in the humming central square of Marrakech, where everything from snail […]
Boxing
Among the huge variety of activity in the Jemma al Fnaa square there are sometimes amateur boxers competing in front of a hugely enthusiastic crowd. There is always something new to discover in the Red City
The Last Storyteller
The Marrakech tradition of story telling is as old as the Red City itself, one of great joys of the Jemaa al Fnaa square is the crowds that gather around storytellers who are often telling tales little altered since the middle ages. Englishman Richard Hamilton has written an outstanding book entitled the last storyteller. […]
Birkemeyer
The Birkemeyer gallery is the leading designer store for both international fashion and Moroccan leather goods. Located in the new town of Guiliez.
Dar Es Salaam
An iconic restaurant in the Marrakech old town. Founded in 1952 and still run by the same family. Its popularity has been assured since the restaurant was used in the 1956 Hitchcock thriller “The man who knew too much” starring James Stewart and Doris Day. Incidentally the movie also featured Doris Day singing the Oscar […]
ATM Jemaa El Fna
On the south side of the main square there is a concentration of banks most of which have ATM machines. One of the best known is the French owned Societe Generale on the main Bab Agnou shopping street. Alternatively walk in the direction of the Koutoubia mosque to the adjacent Rue Moulay Ismail
Carpets chez les Nomades
A long established family business this is the largest and best carpet shop in Marrakech located opposite the Ben Yussef fountain behind the Ben Yussef Mosque. Shopping here is a pleasant and relaxing experience. You will be stunned at the Aladinns cave behind this modest front door. Most carpets are labelled with a price (turn […]