The same African state owes its name to the city, since during the Middle Ages, Marrakech was known in Europe as the City of Morocco, indeed.
Today Marrakech presents itself as a cosmopolitan city rich in attractions. Fascinating is the old city, called the medina, located to the west of the new city. And it is exactly here, in the medina square called Jāmīʿ el-Fnā, that the tourist and local life of Marrakech develops the most in a lively transformation between day and night hours.
During the day Jāmīʿ el-Fnā hosts stalls and open-air markets where you can buy all sorts of things, from fabrics to dates and ostrich eggs. Framing the daytime dynamism are musicians, snake charmers, tooth pullers, acrobats, people specialized in henna decorations and many other activities. The northern side of the square is the area mostly dedicated to tourists with its suq, markets that spread into narrow streets and small squares, each reserved for a specific type of commercial activity. At sunset, the merchant kiosks make way for evening stalls laden with typical dishes prepared on the spot and accompanied by the cheerful rhythms of storytellers and musicians.
Admiring the various suq you reach the Ben Youssef Mosque and the adjacent medersa of the same name, a school specialized in learning Islamic fundamentals. Moving instead to the southern side of the square, you find yourself in front of the Kasbah mosque, after passing through the only remaining gate, called Bab Agnau, dating back to the Almohad dynasty. Leaving the mosque you then reach, through a narrow passage, the Saadian Tombs rediscovered in 1917 in total abandonment. Today these tombs are one of the few monuments of Marrakech more worthy of note.
After visiting also the complex of the Royal Palace, the Mellah (ancient Jewish ghetto), the Majorelle garden (in the new city) and the Cyberpark (dedicated to information technologies and sustainable development), you can rejuvenate in a spa, taste the tajin and other local gastronomic products and, finally, throw yourself into the “crazy night” of Marrakech… as Mina sang.
