Djemaa el Fna and other Marrakesh, Morocco Things to Do Tips

Food stalls, snake charmers, storytellers, henna artists, monkeys, acrobats, medicine men, jugglers, musicians, pickpockets... the huge square of Djemaa el Fna has it all. Nights here are what cities must have been like back in mediaeval times, before television when people made their own entertainment.

By day the square is relatively quiet and empty; as evening approaches the crowds gather and the food stalls are set up. As night falls, thousands of people take to the streets - feasting on the delicious food of the world's largest open air restaurant, listening to stories, or just hanging out with friends and a pot of mint tea.

Love it or loathe it, Djemaa el-Fna has to be experienced at least once. And I say 'experienced' rather than 'seen' because Djemaa el Fna needs all the senses - tasting the food, smelling the spices and aromas, and hearing the endless noise of the horns.

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After you've wandered around the stalls, gorged on all the mouthwatering food and watched everything on the square it's time to retreat to one of the many cafes and watch the goings-on from a distance. In terms of views, though not of food, the best are the rooftop cafes. From here you can see the entire square: the smoky and brightly lit food stalls are the centre, but circles of locals form all around the square watching storytellers and actors, and around the edges are the juice stalls selling fresh orange juice. On the northern side are the souks - full of anything you could possibly want to buy, and lots of things you definitely don't!

There are tourists aplenty in Djemaa el-Fna and it's tempting to dismiss it all as a commercial show, but the stories are all in Arabic and Berber and plenty of locals come here regularly as well. The monkeys, snake charmers and fortune tellers seem purely for the benefit of tourists though and you might find one evening here is enough - although most vistors come back night after night.

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Who says size doesn't matter? The Koutoubia is far and away the largest and most prestigious mosque in Marrakech. Many say it's the most important in the whole of the Mahgreb. At 70 metres tall the minaret dominates much of the city skyline and can come in very useful if you get lost in the maze of the Medina! At night it's illuminated and towers above the smoke filled air of Djemaa el Fna. It's a great place for evening people watching, especially from the ice cream parlour across the road! Like nearly all mosques in Marrakech, it's closed to non-Muslims. But it's definitely worth a good walk round.

It was built by the Almohads in the 12th century and remains in perfect condition, although the zellij tiles that decorated the walls are no longer there. Unusually, each face of the minaret is of a different design. If you know a little Arabic you'll see the name is derivative of 'books' - the mosque was built close to an old booksellers' market. There are also some gardens which are apparently well worth seeing, but they were closed while I was there.

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Jacques Majorelle was a French painter who lived in Morocco most of his life until the 1960's. I haven't seen his paintings but if they're as good as his garden design then the guy must have been a genius! In a small plot of land right in the middle of the new city, behind the high walls lies a garden that's like coming across an oasis in the middle of the Sahara.

It's so well designed that I really wasn't surprised to find that the gardens are now owned by another famous Frenchman - the designer Yves Saint Laurent. With Marrakech being the 'Red City' the bright blue and yellow villa in the middle makes a stunning contrast. (The villa also serves as the Museum of Islamic Art, well worth a look in its own right.) Streams and fish-filled pools flow through the garden, which contains plants from as far away as cacti from North America and tall bamboo trees and pink bougainvillaea.

This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my time in Marrakech and I went back a couple of times. The gardens are beautiful and incredibly peaceful but not particularly big and you'll need to go early or it'll be filled with coachloads of tourists. Have a look at my travelogue for some more photos of the gardens.

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Directions: It's a bit of a trek through the New City, but it's worth it! From the main bus station head up Route Principale 24, turn left up Blvd Allal el Fassi, then left down Avenue Yacoub el Mansour. It's down a lane on the right.

The beautiful blue house in the middle of the Majorelle Gardens is now home to the Museum of Islamic Art. So after you've been blissfully relaxed in the wonderful gardens you can educate yourself as well without hardly even moving! There are the usual exhibits - carpets, jewellery, pottery, paintings and so on, many stretching back hundreds of years. Aside from the displays, even the house is stunning, its bright blue and yellow colour scheme and ornate windows setting it apart from any other house in Marrakech.

The museum and gardens are shut for lunch for a couple of hours (12-2 I think). No photos are allowed inside the museum.

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Even without the interesting displays the museum would be well worth a look as it's contained in beautiful 19th century Mnebhi Palace, complete with fountains in the covered courtyard and colourful tiled zellij mosaics on the walls. The golden colour scheme and glass dome roof make it distinctive from most other riads. After independence the palace became Marrakech's first school for girls and only became a museum in 1997.

Displays of paintings, photos, textiles and other artworks are housed in halls leading off from the central courtyard. The old hammam (baths) and kitchen are also used for exhibitions. If you're tired after a long day sightseeing then this is a wonderfully relaxed and cool place to chill out and you can slump into the big comfy chairs and watch a video about the city. There's also a very nice terrace cafe and a souvenir shop with some great books.

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Directions: The museum is on Place Ben Youssef, at the north end of the Djemaa el Fna souks. It's right by the Ben Youssef Medersa and mosque.

This was a display of ancient Moroccan rug designs. The rugs are often used as carpets but are also hung from walls to act as insulators - and they look nice too!

The museum holds temporary exhibitions covering contemporary art (photos, paintings, sculptures etc) - which are displayed in the hammam! - and "heritage exhibitions" of Moroccan history. It also hosts concerts, theatre shows, films, dancing and lots of other cultural events.

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This was the largest theological college in the entire Mahgreb, hosting up to a thousand students at a time. Built by the Saadians in the 16th century, it's pretty much intact although it did undergo some 1960's renovations. Thankfully, Moroccan 60's designers didn't have the same ideas as those in Britain so there's no grey concrete in sight!

There's a beautiful huge courtyard in the centre, complete with tiled pool and Qu'ranic verses intricately carved into the walls and pillars. The student 'cells' have their own mini-courtyards surrounding the main centre and you're free to wander around. If you've read my other tips you'll know that I find these old buildings extraordinarily beautiful and relaxing - and this is one of the best.

Ali ben Youssef was a 12th century Almoravid sultan and he obviously made a big impression as there's also a mosque named after him.

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Directions: Next to the mosque of the same name, it's just off Place ben Youssef - next to the museum.

This is the oldest mosque in Marrakech and, like most of the others, non-believers aren't allowed in. But it's still worth a look, especially as it's right next to the museum and the medersa. It was built in the 12th century, although I think it's been 'updated' a few times since.

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The Saadians were an Arabian dynasty that ruled much of southern Morocco in the 16th and 17th centuries, often successfully waging war against Portuguese invaders. Marrakech was their capital.

Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour created these tombs for himself, his family and ancestors. In total nearly 200 Saadians are buried here, most in the yard and the most important in the lavishly decorated halls. The tombs were sealed and only rediscovered in 1917 so their original splendour is still intact and the intricate detail is pretty breathtaking.

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Directions: Down the Rue de la Kasbah near the city walls in the old city, beneath the minaret of the Kasbah mosque.