You can savor the magic of Morocco in so many places, because every corner of the country is full of charm, cultural and architectural richness, traditions to pass on and crafts to learn. But Marrakech is probably the city that brings together most of these experiences, a destination where you can live Morocco and get to know its truest soul.
Marrakech is a city that wins over every kind of traveler. From the most respectful, prepared and curious tourists, who even learn a few words of Arabic before leaving, to families traveling with kids and women traveling alone, from groups of friends to couples looking for a romantic weekend or an unusual New Year’s.
But what are the must-see places in Marrakech? Which sights let you get to know the soul of the Red City and make your stay magical, whether you book one of my tours of Morocco or prefer to organize everything yourself?
A trip to Marrakech: the stops you can’t miss
Of course, no visit to Marrakech is complete without the Medina and Jemaa el-Fna Square, the beating geographical and spiritual heart of one of Morocco’s four imperial cities, along with Rabat, Fez and Meknes. Here you’ll immediately come into contact with local life, but also with plenty of activities designed for tourists.
That’s why I’d rather point you to other places you might not find in the classic guidebooks, although there are some very up-to-date and comprehensive ones. Even so, you’ll pass through the Medina many times, because some of the most beautiful sights are right there.
1. Ben Youssef Madrasa
Right in the center of the Marrakech Medina is the Medersa Ben Youssef, the finest example of Moorish architecture. Founded in the 14th century as the largest school for teaching Islamic writing and law, the Ben Youssef Madrasa closed in 1960 and was then restored and opened to the public as a historic site in 1982.
The stunning carved cedar ceilings, the stucco and the colorful zellij tiles suggest that some of the craftsmen who built it were Andalusian, given the similarities with the Alhambra in Granada.
In the central courtyard, overlooked by the students’ dormitories you can still visit, there’s a large Carrara marble basin for ablutions, as well as floors laid with two-tone tiles and five-color mosaics. On either side are two galleries with cedar-trimmed columns and plaster stucco inscribed with verses from the Quran.
The prayer hall, with the Mihrab, holds the most elaborate decorations, with stylized pinecone and palm motifs that create a three-dimensional effect. Near the Madrasa you can also admire the Shrob ou Shouf fountain and the adjoining Ben Youssef Mosque.
2. Koutoubia Mosque
Just a few steps from Jemaa el-Fna Square stands the majestic Koutoubia Mosque, the largest and most important in Marrakech (it can hold up to 25,000 worshippers), built around 1199 on the remains of an earlier Islamic building. This engineering and architectural masterpiece impresses visitors (only Muslims may enter the mosque) with its magnificent minaret, the oldest of the three great Almohad minarets still standing in the world, which towers 69 meters (about 226 feet) over Marrakech and can be seen from about 30 kilometers (almost 19 miles) away.
In fact, an old local rule says that buildings in Marrakech may not be taller than a palm tree, so that the surrounding natural scenery isn’t hidden.
The mosque was built in the Arab Almohad style and its layout echoes that of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, the most traditional of mosques. Inside the minaret are six rooms stacked one above the other, and the mosque is surrounded by beautiful gardens open to the public.
3. The souks
The souks of Marrakech are the perfect place for anyone who loves haggling and finding a bargain, but they’re also where you can get to know the traditional crafts still practiced in Morocco. Sellers of handmade rugs, handcrafted ceramics and Moroccan lamps, women doing henna, and colorful stalls piled with spices of a thousand colors, flavors and scents. The traditional markets also have lots of little souvenir shops where you can buy gifts and keepsakes for your friends.
4. Bab Agnaou
Sections of 12th-century walls and the 19 gates built under the Almohad dynasty, which once gave access to the Marrakech Medina, still surround it. One of the most imposing and fascinating gates, finely decorated with floral bas-reliefs, is Bab Agnaou, built in the 12th century on the southern side of the Medina. It’s the gate leading into the royal Kasbah quarter (the so-called little royal city), and when you look at it from a distance, the color of the stone seems to change.
With its refined and magnificent architecture, Bab Agnaou was mostly decorative.
5. Saadian Tombs
Not far from Bab Agnaou are the Saadian Tombs and the El Badi Palace, and both are well worth a visit.
The Saadian Tombs are the most important testimony to the dynasty of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur. Built in the 1500s but only rediscovered in 1917, these tombs are an artistic and architectural work of great historical significance, holding around 200 burials of members of the Saadian dynasty, including the sultan, and other illustrious figures of the time.
Inside, the decorations are extremely detailed, with domed ceilings and plenty of marble sculptures, mosaics and carved stucco. The most important room, the Hall of the Twelve Columns, was built with Italian marble columns and stucco, a vaulted ceiling and finely decorated cedar doors.
Outside, you can wander through gardens full of lush citrus trees. Today the site is one of Morocco’s top attractions.
6. El Badi Palace
Another must-see for anyone visiting Marrakech is the El Badi Palace, built under the Saadian dynasty. Today only its ruins remain, but they’re still fascinating, and the grandeur of this palace, with its cedarwood ceilings, its gardens centered on a monumental fountain and its architecture, still shines through.
Built in the 16th century by Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour Saadi Dhahbi and also known as the Palace of the Three Kings or the Old Palace, it had over 300 rooms finely decorated with Italian marble and African gold, hand-painted tiles, mosaics and onyx. Seventy-five years after it was built, the palace was looted by the Alaouite ruler Moulay Ismail, who used its materials to build his imperial palace in Meknes.
The underground prisons and the terrace overlooking Marrakech’s magnificent rooftops are still almost intact.
If you visit Marrakech in June, El Badi Palace hosts a popular festival featuring musicians and dancers from all over Morocco.
7. Bahia Palace
The Bahia Palace was built in the late 1800s with the aim of creating the most impressive palace of all time. Today only part of it is open to the public, but it’s an absolute must.
Spread over 8 hectares (about 20 acres), the palace has 150 rooms surrounded by many gardens and courtyards, the most sumptuous of which is the Court of Honor. Even though the rooms are empty, attentive visitors will be dazzled by the decorative details of the ceilings, culminating in the harem of the 4 wives and 24 concubines.
8. Dar Si Said Museum
Lovers of crafts and anyone interested in local culture shouldn’t miss the Dar Si Said Museum, the city’s oldest museum, where you can discover Moroccan craftsmanship and see objects dating back several centuries, some of which are still in everyday use.
Housed in a riad, the museum has many exhibition rooms full of decorated weapons, musical instruments, kitchen utensils, clothing, copperware, Berber jewelry and rugs of every kind from all over the world, including leather ones made in the Sahara region.
9. The tanneries
Staying on the theme of local crafts, Marrakech is full of ancient tanneries, places steeped in the country’s tradition and history. Here you can watch artisans at work using traditional Moroccan techniques to turn hides into leather. The hides are soaked in huge open-air vats to treat them before being dyed in various colors, and then trampled under the hot sun to spread the pigment.
I recommend accepting the sprig of mint you’ll be offered at the tanneries to hold under your nose, because the smells are very strong and can be unpleasant.
10. The Jewish quarter and cemetery
Your tour of Marrakech won’t be complete if you miss the city’s Jewish quarter and the Miâara Jewish cemetery. Founded in 1558, the Jewish quarter was home to around 50,000 people in its heyday. It feels like visiting a city within the city, given its architecture, different from the rest of Marrakech and characterized by balconies.
Lisa
