This article describes notable landmarks, architecture, and museums in the city of Marrakesh, Morocco.
Plazas and squares Jemaa el-Fnaa
The Jemaa el-Fnaa or Djemaa el Fna is the centre of activity in the medina (old city). It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985. The square's name has several possible meanings, but the most plausible etymology endorsed by historians is that it meant "ruined mosque" or "mosque of annihilation", referring to the construction of a mosque within the square in the late 16th century that was left unfinished and fell into ruin. The square was originally an open space for markets located on the east side of the Ksar el-Hajjar, the main fortress and palace of the Almoravid dynasty who founded Marrakesh as their capital in 1070. Following the takeover of the city by the Almohads, a new royal palace complex was founded to the south of the city and the old Almoravid palace was abandoned, but the market square remained. Subsequently, with the fortunes of the city, Jemaa el-Fnaa saw periods of decline and also renewal.
Historically this square was used for public executions and decapitations by the rulers to maintain their power by frightening the people. The square attracted dwellers from the surrounding desert and mountains to trade here and stalls were set up on the square from early in its history. The square attracted tradesmen in foods, animal forage and domestic items, snake charmers ("wild, dark, frenzied men with long disheveled hair falling over their naked shoulders"), Berber women in long robes, camels and donkeys, dancing boys of the Chleuh Atlas tribe, and shrieking musicians with pipes, tambourines and African drums. Today the square attracts people from a diversity of social and ethnic backgrounds and tourists from all around the world. Snake charmers, acrobats, magicians, mystics, musicians, monkey trainers, herb sellers, story-tellers, dentists, pickpockets, and entertainers in medieval garb still populate the square. It has been described as a "world-famous square", "a metaphorical urban icon, a bridge between the past and the present, the place where (spectacularized) Moroccan tradition encounters modernity."
Others Place des Ferblantiers is a square located at the junction of the original medina and the Kasbah, between the Badi Palace and the Bahia Palace. The Mellah is also accessible from here, along with a small spice market. The square was traditionally occupied by metalworkers, but only a few of these remain today.
Other squares and plazas include El Mashwar, El Moussalla, Place Bab Doukkala, Square Charles de Foucauld, Place de la Liberté, Place du 16 Novembre, Place Sidi Ahmed El Kamel, Place Youssef Ben Tachfine, Place Mourabiten, Square Bir Anzaran.
Souks and merchant structures
Souks Marrakech has the largest traditional markets in Morocco and the image of the city is closely associated with its souks. They represent a mix of Berber and Arab heritage: for example, while the city was founded by a Berber dynasty (the Almoravids) and most of the city's inhabitants were of Berber origin, the names of most professions and of the souks specialized in them are from Arabic. Paul Sullivan cites the souks as the principal shopping attraction in the city, describing it as "a honeycomb of intricately connected alleyways, this fundamental section of the old city is a micro-medina in itself, 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." Historically the souks of Marrakech were divided into areas of retail, including leather, carpets, metalwork, pottery, etc. The areas are still roughly ordered but there is significant overlap today. There is also an important distinction between permanent souks and temporary souks. The former are permanent market zones filled with boutiques and shops, typically established along the city's most important streets, while the latter are makeshift markets that appear either daily or weekly in certain open areas. Many temporary souks take place just outside the city gates. The flea market outside Bab el-Khemis (the "Thursday Gate"), for example, traditionally took place every Thursday, though today it is present on most days of the week. Other temporary souks take place in some of the city's squares. For example, the Rahba Kedima (meaning "Old Square/Plaza") had specific areas designated for the auction of particular goods at designated times every week, such as wool, carpets, weapons and (historically) slaves.
Unlike other historic Islamic cities, where the most expensive goods were sold near the city's main mosques, the geographic organization of specialized trades in the permanent souks of Marrakesh was not necessarily dependent on the location of important mosques. Instead, the souks are organized across a vast area stretching between Jemaa al-Fnaa to the south and the Ben Youssef Mosque to the north. Some of the souks are (or historically were) housed within their own structural complex called a kissaria or qaysariyya. These sprawling structures accommodate numerous shops within standardly constructed units that were traditionally closed and opened with two wooden slats (one on the bottom and one on top). They also have their own gates and were traditionally closed off at night. One example of a kissaria today is the series of four parallel lanes (running roughly northwest to southeast), divided by another lane down their middle, which is located between the two main streets that fork off the northern end of Souk Semmarine, at heart of the souks. This kissaria may have been laid out in Almohad times (12th-13th centuries) and was historically specialized in textiles and clothing. Another kissaria, also specialized in clothing, used to be located at the northern end of the souks. It consisted of a long linear structure, housing a covered lane with shops on either side, running along the south side of the Ben Youssef Mosque, between the mosque and the Almoravid Qubba today. It was demolished in the 20th century to improve circulation within the medina. The remaining open square there today is still known as Place de La Kissaria.
Many of the souks sell items such as carpets and rugs, traditional Muslim attire, leather bags, and lanterns etc. Haggling is still a very important part of trade in the souks. One of the largest souks is Souk Semmarine ("Market of the Farriers"), the main souk street running north from Jemaa el-Fnaa, which sells anything from brightly coloured bejewelled sandals and slippers and leather pouffes to jewellery and kaftans. Furth north, Souk Semmarine branches off into two main streets: Souk el-Kebir (the "Great Market") to the northeast and Souk el-Attarine ("Spice Market") to the northwest. Off these main streets are various other markets and shop streets. Rahba Kedima, a triangular open plaza to the east of Souk Semmarine, contains stalls selling hand-woven baskets, natural perfumes, knitted hats, scarves and T-shirts, Ramadan tea, ginseng, and alligator and iguana skins. The Criée Berbère (French for "Berber Auction"), to the northeast of this market, is noted for its dark Berber carpets and rugs. Souk Ableuh contains stalls which specialize in the retail of olives, a variety of types and colours including green, red, and black olives, lemons, chilis, capers, and pickles and mint, a common ingredient of Moroccan cuisine and tea. Similarly, Souk Kchacha specializes in dried fruit and nuts, including dates and figs, walnuts, cashews and apricots. Souk Siyyaghin is noted for its jewellery, and Souk Smata nearby is noted for its extensive collection of babouches and belts. Souk Cherratine specializes in leatherware, and Souk Belaarif sells modern consumer goods. Souk Haddadine ("Market of the Blacksmiths") specializes in ironware and lanterns. Souk Sebbaghin, the Dyers' Souk (also Souk des Teinturiers, in French), is located near here and is notable for the dyed wools, skins, and silks which are hung above the street to dry.
Ensemble Artisanal is a government-run complex of small arts and crafts which has a reasonable range of goods dealing with leather, textiles and carpets. In the workshop at the back of this shop young people are taught a range of crafts.
Funduqs
A funduq (also spelled fondouk or foundouk) is a traditional type of merchant building in Morocco and across much of the historic Muslim world. Also known as a caravanserai, in other regions it is variously called a khan or wikala. Funduqs were typically one or two stories tall and centered around a large courtyard surrounded by a gallery which gave access to rooms across each floor. The ground floor was usually used for storage of merchant goods and animals while the upper floors contained rooms and accommodations for merchants from outside the city. More than just inns, they were also places of business. For convenience, they were mostly along the city's major streets or near its main gates, usually within the main commercial districts and near its workshops. Some funduqs were specialized for particular types of goods: for example, the funduq as-sukkar was specialized in the sugar trade, the funduq al-'atriyya was for spice merchants, etc. Others were associated with particular merchant guilds or even with particular Sufi religious brotherhoods.
The existence of funduqs in Marrakesh dates to beginning of its history. Their activity, prominence, and number waxed and waned according to the city's periods of prosperity and decline. The peaks of such prosperity were during the Almoravid and Almohad periods (11th-13th centuries), the Saadian period (16th century), and under certain later Alaouite sultans. In the 20th century, however, the major social changes brought about by French colonial rule (1912-1956), such as the expansion of the city outside its historic walls and the rural exodus across the country, has resulted in many funduqs being converted to low-cost permanent housing, and the steady degradation of their architectural fabric. The majority, however, are still partly or exclusively occupied by artisan workshops and continue to serve a commercial purpose. Some have been restored in recent years. According to municipal statistics, at the end of the 2010s there were 96 funduqs in Marrakesh, which is less than the 132 counted in a 1972 survey. Among other examples, several well-preserved and accessible funduqs are located on and off the main streets of the Mouassine district, between the Mouassine Mosque and the Ben Youssef Mosque.
City walls and gates
The ramparts of Marrakesh, which stretch for some around the medina of the city, were built by the Almoravids in the 12th century as protective fortifications. The walls are made of a distinct orange-red clay and chalk, giving the city its nickname as the "red city"; they stand up to high and have 20 gates and 200 towers along them.Of the city's gates, one of the best-known is Bab Agnaou, built in the late 12th century by the Almohad caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur as the main public entrance to the new Kasbah. The Berber name Agnaou, like Gnaoua, refers to people of Sub-Saharan African origin (cf. Akal-n-iguinawen – land of the black). The gate was called Bab al Kohl (the word kohl also meaning "black") or Bab al Qsar (palace gate) in some historical sources. The corner-pieces are embellished with floral decorations. This ornamentation is framed by three panels marked with an inscription from the Quran in Maghrebi script using foliated Kufic letters, which were also used in Al-Andalus. Bab Agnaou was renovated and its opening reduced in size during the rule of sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah.