"All aboard the Marrakech Express!" Marrakesh by mafi_moya


Marrakesh Travel Guide: 2,370 reviews and 5,323 photos

Marrakech! The name alone fills my brain with images of the exotic and the mysterious. A stronghold of the ancient Islamic empires; an Arabian Nights concoction of late night bazaars and hectic souks; or a drug-hazed rock'n'roll stop on the sixties hippy trail - it's one of the great cities of Africa.

I know it’s a bit of a clichéd description but Marrakech really is a tale of two cities. On the one hand there’s the Ville Nouvelle, the new city with its wide tree-lined avenues, spotlessly clean streets, cosmopolitan urbanites and fashionable restaurants and ice cream parlours. Just a few blocks away it feels like you step back hundreds of years, deep into mediaeval times and the dark, labyrinthine alleyways of the Medina – the sound of blacksmiths and tanneries, the smell of carcasses hanging on hooks above the gutter, and narrow, uneven roads where horse and carts have right of way over cars.

It’s naturally to the Medina, with its exotic chaos, that most tourists are drawn, before retreating to the hotels of the more refined Ville Nouvelle. It’s one of the few traditional Islamic Medina remaining and despite all those tourists it's an eye-opening experience. Djemaa el-Fna, the Place of the Dead, is an incredible sight – as night falls, food stalls set up and the huge square is filled with smoke and smells, storytellers, jugglers, snake handlers and thousands of people.

Like most Moroccan cities Marrakech has it’s own colour scheme – in this case everything is painted red. Shades of houses range from pastel pink to fierce deep crimson and it makes an incredible sight just before sunset.

I loved the Medina’s vibrant attack on the senses, but I also enjoyed the Ville Nouvelle’s laid-back cosmopolitan charm, even if I did feel a bit out of place in the more fashionable parts! But the thing I loved most about Marrakech was the amazing old Islamic North African architecture – the mosques, the religious schools, the museums, art galleries and old palaces. Somehow these buildings link the two cities and the centuries between them – combining the history and tradition of the Medina with the space and prestige of the Ville Nouvelle. When I'm old and rich this is how I'm going to build my dream house!

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Amazing architecture and history
  • Cons:The people - money, money, money!
  • Last visit to Marrakesh: Feb 2004
  • Intro Updated Jul 15, 2004
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  • MM212's Profile Photo
    MM212 Oct 6, 2006 at 6:54 AM Report Abuse

    Fantastic tips and amazing photos. Very useful for my upcoming trip to Marrakech. Thanks for sharing.

  • sunlovey's Profile Photo
    sunlovey Mar 28, 2006 at 9:49 AM Report Abuse

    Just read your Marrakesh intro... great description, now to devour all of your tips! You make me extremely excited about my upcoming trip... :-) Thanks for sharing.

  • Escadora7's Profile Photo
    Escadora7 Dec 10, 2005 at 7:15 PM Report Abuse

    Really nice tips and pictures. Marrakesh will definitely go onto our list of places to see! Best wishes, Ash & Eve

  • Tijavi's Profile Photo
    Tijavi Mar 6, 2005 at 6:59 PM Report Abuse

    Your tales and pictures are so alive - felt being transported there myself. Thanks!

  • JLBG's Profile Photo
    JLBG Nov 29, 2004 at 9:14 PM Report Abuse

    Superb photos and tips. I have both recognised the Maeeakesh I love and found new places to visit. I had heard of the Majorelle Gardens but did not visit. I will next time. Thank you for sharing !

  • chrisvandenbroucke's Profile Photo
    chrisvandenbroucke Nov 26, 2004 at 2:08 PM Report Abuse

    Stayed in the same hotel (Afriquia) last summer but didn't associate it then with Dali.... Very interesting comments (what a work to do !!!) Will check out your other pages

  • eagle-eye Aug 31, 2004 at 6:34 AM Report Abuse

    Fantastic photos and the tips are great, they really bring the place alive. Marrakech is on my must-see list

  • LotusV8's Profile Photo
    LotusV8 May 20, 2004 at 3:40 AM Report Abuse

    Very nice pics and info! I am going to Morocco in sept! best reg. Per

  • Skeptic-jr's Profile Photo
    Skeptic-jr Mar 25, 2004 at 12:27 PM Report Abuse

    Thanks for sharing with good info and great pictures. I hope to be to Morocco in a year or two. So definitely will see here again to see if you have add something new.

  • Maph's Profile Photo
    Maph Mar 15, 2004 at 7:25 AM Report Abuse

    wow, great pics, I have to go there...:)

mafi_moya

“"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito" - African Proverb”

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