DK Travel : Marrakech

An oasis in every sense of the word, Marrakech was once a beacon for the trading caravans that had driven north through the desert and navigated over the often snow-capped Atlas Mountains. Marrakech may be Morocco’s third most important city after Rabat and Casablanca, but its fabulous palaces and lush palm groves exercise a powerful hold over tourists. It has always been the place where sub-Saharan Africa meets Arab North Africa, and, even today, this market town located on the edge of nowhere remains a compellingly exotic port of call.

1. Jemaa El Fna

This is a vast plaza at the heart of the medina (the old walled city), as old as Marrakech itself. The site of parades and executions in the past, modern city life is centred around the Jemaa El Fna .
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2. The Night Market

By night, Jemaa El Fna transforms into a circus, theatre and restaurant, with itinerant musicians and entertainers drawing excitable crowds (see The Night Market ).
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3. Koutoubia Mosque

Marrakech’s landmark monument boasts a tower that dominates the skyline for miles around. Like most mosques in Morocco, it is closed to non-Muslims but it’s an impressive sight nonetheless (see Koutoubia Mosque ).
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4. The Souks

Laid out in the narrow streets to the north of central Jemaa El Fna are a dizzying array of souks, or bazaars. Different areas specialize in their own specific wares, selling anything from carpets, lanterns and slippers, to ingredients for magic spells .
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5. City Walls and Gates

Marrakech’s medina, or old city, is wrapped around by several miles of reddish-pink, dried mud walls, punctuated by nearly 20 gates. Having proved ineffective against attackers throughout history, the walls are more ornamental than functional (see City Walls and Gates ).
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6. Saadian Tombs

A tranquil garden hidden at the end of the narrowest of meandering passageways shelters the royal tombs of one of Morocco’s ruling dynasties. They were shrouded from the world till the 1920s (see Saadian Tombs ).
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7. Medersa Ben Youssef

Behind a typically blank Marrakech façade hides what is arguably the city’s finest building. This ancient religious school boasts exquisite decorative detail (see Medersa Ben Youssef ).
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8. Badii Palace

The ruins of this once fabled palace provide a picturesque setting for nesting storks – and a salutary warning from history against extravagance (see Badii Palace ).
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9. Majorelle Gardens

Jacques Majorelle, a French artist who came to Marrakech to recuperate, gifted this beautiful garden to the city. It is now owned by French couturier, Yves Saint-Laurent who has opened it to the public (see Majorelle Gardens ).
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10. Mamounia Hotel

A grande dame among hotels worldwide, the Mamounia has been providing hospitality to the visiting rich and famous for almost a century.
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