5 things to do in Marrakesh, Morocco

Marrakesh is a loud, chaotic, messy, disordered jumble of streets and alleys…

In other words, a great city.

The petit taxi opens its door near the El Badi Palace and we inhale the atmosphere of Marrakesh. Quite literally. Our nostrils fill with the familiar smell of gasoline, exhaust fumes and sewer. Marrakesh transports us to Indonesia, to the Kraton in Yogyakarta for example. Unlike Agadir – knocked to the ground by an earthquake – Marrakesh largely retained its classic Moroccan character, at least within the old walled medina.

The most famous of the four imperial cities of Morocco – Marrakesh, Fez, Meknes and Rabat – Marrakesh derived its name from the Berber words amur n akush, Land of God. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the world knew the entire country of Morocco as the “kingdom of Marrakesh”.

A very poetic description depicts Marrakesh as “a drum that beats an African identity into the complex soul of Morocco.” Although we can’t rule out that the author had been too involved with Moroccan hashish. It is, however, no wonder that the red city attracts so many travellers.

Here are five activities you should definitely try in Marrakesh:

1/ Get lost in the medina

The medina is a labyrinth. Don’t think of walking into a tourist office for a map. Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes. Don’t put your hope on your technology either. In Marrakesh, even Google Maps gets lost.

It’s fabulous to see all those panic-stricken tech slaves walk around in circles like chickens with their heads cut off. Like the distraught tourist who came to ask our white faces the way to his riad (see number four), with a smartphone in his hand and followed by a bunch of ragamuffins out for a dirham. The revenge of the disconnected.

The point is: getting lost is part of the experience. A new surprise lurks behind every corner: an army of street cats, an indefinable smell that wafts from nowhere into your direction, a carpet vendor who happens to have hashish on offer.

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Marrakesh is very touristy, but still, the city is very much alive. Tourism hasn’t devoured the soul of Marrakesh. You’ll notice this when you take any random side street — boys in the midst of a rowdy game of soccer, hawkers with colourful carts full of fruit, craftsmen who forge iron or stitch clothes in workshops. Life happens on the streets.

Even though cars can’t enter most parts of the media, that does not make the traffic any less frightening. Mopeds, horse carriages, cyclists (surprisingly many, Marrakesh residents are avid cyclists), donkey carts, cargo motorbikes, pushcarts and pedestrians all fight for space in alleys with the width of a hospital corridor, some asphalted but others no more than tamped earth.

Whenever you’re turning around a corner or go through a gate, you do so with true contempt for death. You never know if you’ll face an oncoming vehicle. No wonder that many well-to-do Moroccans prefer not to live in the medina, but instead in the newer and tidier areas of the city, with spacious sidewalks, where a moped doesn’t mow you down every five metres.

2/ Cool down in the Majorelle Garden

We enjoy an extremely pleasant 20-25°C, but Marrakesh takes on the shape of an efficient roasting oven in the summer. Fortunately, the city is known for its many gardens, where you can rest under olive or citrus trees.

Well-known examples are the Agdal and Menara gardens and those of the Bahia Palace, but we opt for the Majorelle Garden. It is named after the French painter Jacques Majorelle, who recovered from tuberculosis in Marrakesh, fell in love with the city and stayed.

“The garden contains cacti, succulents, bougainvillaeas, bamboo and various plant species from all over the world”, says our travel guide, “Water basins, fountains, arbours and immense earthen jars in bright colours strengthen this plant universe.”

The characteristic intense blue is particularly omnipresent. Majorelle had noticed the blue in Moroccan tiles, in the burnouses of the Berbers and in the buildings in this country. He used the colour so often that he registered the specific hue as a trademark. It now bears the name Majorelle blue.

Later, fashion guru Yves Saint-Laurent obtained the garden. After his death, his ashes were scattered around. The fact that the place lends itself perfectly to extensive posing, selfie and Instagram sessions also contributes to the true catwalk atmosphere that hangs in the Majorelle garden.

3/ Eat like a Pasha on Africa’s busiest square

“Ed Sheeran!”

A barker points at my blonde hair and signals for us to sit down at his food stall. “Couscous! Tajine! Only the best prices, my friend!”

Ed Sheeran? My friend? May this dimwit get executed and may his heads be skewered on a pole! That’s what happened in old times to criminals on Jemaa el-Fnaa, aka ‘the square of the death’. A matter of subtly changing the minds of other crooks with shady plans.

Berbers from the Atlas Mountains and from the desert, accompanied by donkeys or camels respectively, came here to sell their wares. “Wild, dark, frenzied men with long dishevelled hair falling over their naked shoulders” charmed snakes, musicians played the bagpipes, tambourines and djembes.

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Nowadays, everyone knows Jemaa el-Fna as ‘la place’, the evening gathering place of touristy Marrakesh, and not much has changed. There are still snake charmers and folk musicians. Men and women dance in robes to their mesmerizing music. There are Barber water carriers and storytellers, macaque trainers and wizards, pigeon fanciers and herb sellers. According to Wikipedia, there are even dentists, although we didn’t see any. Veiled women accost tourists and try to persuade them to get a henna tattoo, Moroccan children play folk games.

It’s a colourful mob. There’s a reason that Jemaa el-Fna is the busiest square in Africa. Everyone tries to make a buck off the bustle in the square, the circus. Beggars, pickpockets, children selling individual packages of paper napkins, doughnut sellers, fruit juice makers and men who hawk Maghreb cigarettes by the piece, you name it.

In dozens of eateries, you can sit down at wooden tables for a bowl of harira soup, a plate of couscous or a mint tea. Yes, it’s touristy – and at times a bit claustrophobic – but quite cosy once you sit down on a bench, amidst the enticing smells rising from large cooking pots. Do avoid the stall of the cretin who confused me with that ginger doormat.

4/ Dream a fairy-tale of One Thousand and One Nights in a riad

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Anyone tired of romping on streets and squares only has to step into a small alley and imagine themselves in a different world. Many of the doors hide riads, traditional Moroccan houses. These originally belonged to the Moroccan bourgeoisie, but nowadays they often serve as accommodation for tourists.

One Thousand and One Nights. Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. The treasure cave of Ali Baba. It’s hard to talk in clichés when writing about the riads of Marrakesh. We will try hard to avoid those pitfalls.

Built around a patio, a shady inner garden, riads serve as refuges from the heat and humdrum of daily Moroccan life. The patios, with their comfortable, cushioned seating areas, are pleasant places to slurp some mint tea. Our room in the old Jewish quarter, near the El-Badi Palace, contains traditional decorations. Think earthen-coloured walls, heavy, black, wooden wardrobes with carvings, elegant red curtains, a door that closes with a bolt, and a copper sink in the bathroom.

Follow the stairs up and you will reach a lovely roof terrace. In addition to spotting dozens of storks and thousands of satellite dishes, this is where you will realise exactly why Marrakesh is called the red city.

We stayed at Riad Dar Loula, which recently changed its name into Riad ViewPoint.

5/ Make a deal in the souks

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Trade is crucial for Marrakesh. Not just historically – think about the merchants on Jemaa el-Fna – but even now. That’s most evident in the souks, the traditional markets. Those of Marrakesh are the largest in the country. According to Paul Sullivan “a honeycomb of intricately connected alleyways (…), comprising a dizzying number of stalls and shops that range from itsy kiosks no bigger than an elf’s wardrobe to scruffy store-fronts that morph into glittering Aladdin’s Caves* once you’re inside.”

*Told you so!

It’s a labyrinth of market streets where you can literally buy everything. Berber jewellery, which may or may not be made in India, camel leather handbags and bracelets made from recycled car tires. Chessboards, wooden African animals and babouche slippers. All kinds of herbs and vegetables, musical instruments, knick-knacks and textiles. And carpets, of course. It goes without saying that you have to negotiate as if you’re life depends on it. More about that later.

Tourism is partly responsible for a revival of century-old crafts in Marrakesh. In the souks, you can see how craftsmen bake pots and colour wool, tan leather and cast copper. A merchant’s spirit is indispensable and the market vendors certainly know that. They all want to get you into their store and make sure you look at their merchandise.

Fortunately, selling happens in a great atmosphere and always with a smile. “Whether you buy or not, we keep smiling”, many vendors insist. And that’s exactly how it is. Even if you don’t intend to spend a single dirham, a visit to the souks is still worthwhile. Just make sure you don’t get lost. Or no, do get lost.

First published in Dutch on Tom’s blog.