The Marrakech Medina
The Marrakech Medina
At Marrakech Riad we pride ourselves on offering our guests as much support and information as they require to help them to plan their perfect stay in our beautiful Medina accommodation. The ancient walled city at the heart of Marrakech is a labyrinthine adventure, filled with the daily activities of the inhabitants of this marvellous place, some moments truly seem frozen in time! Here you will find details of some of the great places within those fabled walls of this celebrated red city.
The museum district
The Central area of the Marrakech Medina around the Ben Yussef Mosque is the ‘museum quarter’ with a great collection of museums and historic attractions. The oldest building in Marrakech, the Almoravid Kouba is open to the public and features sone of the most remarkable architectural decoration in the whole of the islamic world. The […]
Argan group Jemma al Fnaa
The famous Marrakech Jemma al Fnaa is always teaming with life. This group is typical of the informal groupings of musicians from nearby berber villages who assemble to perform each evening. This tune reflects the typical style of the Rif valley region in the North of Morocco Stay in one of our Marrakech Riads and […]
Le Tanjia Restaurant
Le Tanjia is a long established restaurant, South of the main square in the direction of the Jewish quarter, the Mellah. It is named after a classic Moroccan Lamb dish the Tanjia but the real signature dish is another slow cooked Marrakechi Lamb speciality ‘Mechoui’ where the whole lamb is cooked (traditionally undergound) for many […]
Fnaque berbere, the Berber bookshop!
The wittily named Fnaque Berbere, or Berber bookshop is a Marrakech institution which has recently had a facelift. This great little bookshop used to be a ramshackle kiosk on a prominent corner of the Rue Mouassine which runs up from the Jemma al Fna Square North toward the Central Medina. During 2011 it was demolished […]
Moroccan craft weaver
This weaver is making traditional scarves on a traditional berber loom. this could be a mediaeval scene, it is fantastic to see such crafts alive and thriving in Modern day Marrakech The beauty of staying in a Riad in Marrakech is that centuries of living history are right on your doorstep.
Svenj, Morroccan donuts
Prepared fresh each morning Svenj sometimes written Sfenj or Svenge is a Moroccan donut or Beignet. A delicious everyday food enjoyed by rich and poor alike it is often eaten with sweet mint tea for breakfast. Marrakech Svenj specialist Mohammed has been cooking this traditional dish for 23 years. Below is his ‘secret recipe’ and method: Ingredients: […]
Rais Elghanbaz, Ribab group
The arabic word Rais usually means ships captain, the berber language has borrowed this word to describe the leader of a group, like this one, that play with the traditional Ribab instrument. Recorded live in the Jemma al Fnaa square Marrakech at the time of the Marrakech Film festival 2011, note the giant outdoor screen […]
Snail seller, Mostafa Elbahja
Mostafa Elbahja is the self appointed NUMBER ONE Babbouch (snails) vendor in the Jemma al Fnaa square, in this film he explains in comical fashion the health benefits of eating his snails marinaded in spices like the cinnamon, ginger, cumin, rosemary and aniseed. Orange juice sellers provide the backdrop as Mostafa tells us how his snails are good […]
Hassan the wood turner
Hassan the young wood turner works on a street corner near to the Ben Yussef Mosque in Central Marrakech just a few hundred yards from Riad Cinnmaon. His traditional North African lathe is powered by his right hand while his left hand and feet control his tools, this is in contrast to a European pole […]
Souvenirs produced locally in Central Marrakech
Most of the souvenirs on offer in the Marrakech Souks are produced locally, often just a short walk from the shops where they are sold. Don’t be shy about asking for a special size or design, they can usually be produced to order amazingly quickly. Marrakchi artisan Azdine supports his young family by making ‘treasure […]
Qu’elle est jolie, Jemaa al Fnaa
Qu` elle est jolie is a folk group usually to be found playing in the Jemma al Fnaa square opposite to the landmark Cafe France. Their best known song of the same name switches between Spanish, Berber, French and the Darija Moroccan dialect. The group was established in the early 1980s, and today usually comprises four or five […]
Yussef, plaster carver
The Marrakech street ‘traffic’ whizzes by as young plaster carver Yussef works on a piece in his boutique in the Souk Sidi Isshak near to the Ben Yussef Medersa in central Marrakech just around the corner from Riad Cinnamon. Youssef is a 17 years old, since he left school he has been learning this craft […]
Hanout, designer clothes shop
We are delighted to have discovered ‘Hanout’ a newly opened ladies designer clothes shop in the Marrakech souks. It is modestly named, literally hanout means ‘the shop’ in Darija Moroccan arabic, but the designer clothing on offer is world class. Collections include Indian inspired pieces from Anaya in London and other select designer clothes, hand […]
Arts in Marrakech Biennale 2012
The fourth Marrakech Biennale will take place between 29th February and 4th March 2012. Visual Arts Exhibitions will remain open until 3rd June. The main Exhibition entitled ‘Higher Atlas’ will be located in the sixteenth century Al Badi Palace. The full programme of events including Film, Literature and Music will be announced nearer the time. […]
Henna Cafe, Marrakech
We are proud to have funded and helped organise the start up of Henna Cafe a not for profit project ‘giving back’ to the welcoming Marrakech Community. The Cafe is located not far from Riad Papillon near the Dar El Bashash taxi rank. It serves an inexpensive range of drinks and snacks with a menu […]
The Koutoubia Mosque
The Koutoubia mosque was built in the 12th century under the Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur to be the crowning glory of his North African based empire, it is indeed today still the largest mosque to be found in Marrakech today. The structure stands 69 metres tall towering over the surrounding city, an impressive structure by any […]
The ‘Berber look’
One thing that it is impossible to fail to notice whilst meandering round Marrakech’s old town (the medina) is that there are a fair number of people who are quite interested in getting you to spend your money in their shops/stalls. Luckily since the introduction of the Tourist police a few years ago this merely […]
Fishing for bottles
In the midst of Jemaa el Fna square every evening you can catch a group of locals in a circle doing something which at first looks rather peculiar, and on closer inspection still looks fairly peculiar, if perhaps somewhat more logical than previously. Most British people will be familiar with the fairground game of a […]
Supporting Local people.
Here at Riads Cinnamon and Papillon we buy as much as possible of our food from local suppliers. We shop daily visiting our regular stall and shop owners. Their personal relationships directly back to the farmer mean that we know where our food has been right from the minute that it has been picked till […]
Saadian Tombs
The Saadian tombs in Marrakech’s medina are the resting place of the former royal dynasty of Morocco, built in the 16th century by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur they were lost for many years only to be rediscovered by archaeologists in 1917. Since then they have become an integral part of any culture or history fans visit to Marrakech. […]
The Jewish community in Marrakech
The Jewish community has a long history in Marrakech and Morocco at large, indeed the history of the community stretches back to antiquity under the Roman empire following the dissolution of the Jewish state in 70 AD with Jewish people arriving after the destruction of the Jewish state. The Jewish people received relatively kind treatment under the sultans due […]
El Badi Palace
A beautiful palace situated in the south of Marrakech’s historic medina, originally built between 1553-1578 by the Sadiaan king Ahmad al-Mansur to host guests and to act as a residence for him and his family as Marrakech was at the time the capital of Morocco the palace was extensively used. Today however the palace is […]
Fresh Orange juice in Jemaa el Fna
When under the boiling sun that is often to be found in Morocco and indeed much of north Africa, there is little more refreshing or thirst quenching than a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. Luckily if you happen to find yourself in the great square of Jemaa el Fna there is certainly no short […]