![]() |
City Guide - Marrakech - Key Attractions | ||
![]() |
||
Key Attractions Djemmaa-el-Fna (Place of the Dead) The great square of Djemmaa-el-Fna is the centre of medina life both day and night. By day, it is a market and gathering place with orange juice stalls one after the other halfway around the square and a scattering of entertainers, but it is at dusk that it really comes into its own. When the juice sellers have packed up, the food stalls take over, cooking up a variety of vegetables, fish and meat. It is now that performers of every kind, including snake charmers, singers, musicians, story tellers and acrobats, fill the square. They are joined by the healers and fakirs with pots of herbs ready to dispense cures for any ailment imaginable. The crowds are mainly Moroccans, as this is not a spectacle just for the tourists. It offers a glimpse of medina life little changed since medieval times. Djemmaa-el-Fna is surrounded by cafés and restaurants, to escape the hustle and bustle by relaxing with a tea or coffee. End of Triq El Koutoubia, Rue Mouassine, Rue Souk Smarine or Rue Riad Z El Kedim Transport: Bus 1 to Avenue Muhammad V. Opening hours: Mid-morning until late at night. Saadian Tombs One of the most visited sites in Morocco, the Saadian Tombs lay half-ruined and forgotten until rediscovered and opened to the public in 1917. The entrance is down a thin passage leading to an enclosed garden overlooked by two separate mausoleums, with over 100 mosaic-decorated graves scattered around. The principal structures of the tombs were built by Sultan Ahmed El Mansour for himself and his family and date from the late sixteenth century. The graves are much older and the identity of most of them has been lost. Within the mausoleum, the rooms are richly decorated, with magnificent domed ceilings, stalactite plaster work, intricate carving and marble pillars. Rue de la Kasbah Transport: Petit taxi or calèche. Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800. Admission: Dh15. Koutoubia Mosque From any approach, the first sight of Marrakech is of the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque, which dominates the skyline. Marrakech's tallest building, it dates from the twelfth century and was built in the classic Moroccan design. Originally, the minaret was covered in plaster with each tier decoratively painted, obscuring the intricate carvings of the stonework. Suggestions to restore it have been met with protests with many believing restoration will detract from its beauty. The architecture can be admired at close quarters from the surrounding gardens, which also contain excavations of an earlier mosque that was demolished because it was not correctly aligned with Mecca and the remains of Almoravid Palace. Avenue Muhammad V Transport: Bus 1. Opening hours: Mosque and minaret closed to non-Muslims; gardens always open to all. Admission: Free (gardens). Menara Gardens With its backdrop of the Atlas Mountains, it is no surprise that the Menara Gardens are one of the most photographed places in Morocco.The best time to come is late afternoon when most of the tourists have left. The garden was laid out in the twelfth century, by the Almohads, as an olive grove set around the grand bassin or lake. The pavilion, menzeh, was built much later in 1870. The first-floor open balcony offers a wonderful view over the large expanse of water towards the mountains. Avenue de la Menara, from Bab Djedid by the Hôtel La Mamounia Transport: Petit taxi or calèche. Opening hours: Daily dawn-dusk. Admission: Free (gardens); Dh5 (menzeh). |