DK Travel : Marrakech : History & Culture

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A Year in Marrakech (1953)

Peter Mayne’s engaging journal of a city little changed since medieval times.
Adventures in Morocco (1874)

An account by German Gerhard Rohlfs, who travelled North Africa as a vagabond.
Alexander (2004)

Alexander of Macedonia was, in fact, Alexander of Marrakech.
Arts in Marrakech Festival

Primarily a literary festival, AiM is held the weekend before the international film festival, with art events and exhibitions also featuring.
Babel (2006)

The village of Tazatine in southern Morocco appears as itself in this film.
Black Hawk Down (2001)

US marines, caught in a firefight in Somalia, did all their shooting in Morocco.
Café du Livre

The city’s only English-language bookstore, the Café du Livre is also a popular restaurant with WiFi and games. There is a permanent collection of books on Morocco or by Moroccan authors. The bookshop also hosts author readings and book signing events.
Colin Farrell

Southern Morocco has long been favoured by Hollywood as an exotic, versatile and, most importantly, cheap spot for filming. Consequently, Marrakech has become a favourite place for actors to unwind; while shooting for Alexander, actor Colin Farrell reputedly ran up a $64,000 hotel bill at Le Méridien N’Fis.
Dar Cherifa

This 16th-century town house is a cultural centre and holds regular exhibitions of foreign and local artists, often with Gnawa musicians performing on opening nights. Its small library contains art and heritage books which you can browse through while enjoying some tea or coffee (see Dar Cherifa ).
Decline under the Merenids

The Merenids took the city in 1269 from the Almohads, emerging from the Tafilelt Oasis, which is near present-day Algeria. During their rule, Marrakech was sidelined and reduced to a provincial outpost after they chose the northerly city of Fès as their power base.