In Marrakech you will find that everything centres around the Djemaa el-Fna Square through all hours of the day and night so it's best to stay at a hotel near there even if it costs more (especially in a city where one cannot help getting lost all the time and where everyone stays outside till late in the night).
It is in the famous Djemaa el-Fna square that you will also find ginseng and cinnamon tea though hot mint tea (what is humorously referred to as Moroccan whiskey) is what Morocco is famous for.
Fresh orange juice is aplenty here and quite cheap too and is good for your digestion after the couscous or mutton tagine!
Unfortunately no amount of photographs will be able to reproduce the different smells or noise in the square. You have to be there to smell and hear for yourself!
Note: Click on any photo below to reproduce its original size and press the F11 button on your keyboard to fill the whole screen (press F11 again to go back to where you were).
The sophisticated Marrakech Menara Airport.
The modern railway station at Marrakech.
Sunset seen from the Djemaa el-Fna Square.
Scenes of everyday life at the Djemaa el-Fna Square in the daytime and at night. If you should eat at any of the restaurants nearby ask to go up to the terrace where you can enjoy your meal with a commanding view of the square during the daytime and brightly illuminated stalls at night.
The Djemaa el-Fna Square around noon. This picture was taken from the terrace of the Argana Restaurant before it was blasted by terrorists on 28 April 2011.
Not far from the square are horse-drawn carriages (caleche) waiting in line for customers. Nothing like a ride on one of them to take you back to ancient times.
Watch out for caleche, bicycles and mopeds that seem to come from nowhere and whizz along at full speed among the crowds.
Acrobats and child performers earn their keep through the generosity of the spectators.
Snake-charmers in the square ask 10 dirhams from tourists who want to take their photos.
A panoply of traditional medicine for those who believe in them.
Anything goes here. This man even invited me to try out one of the used dentures to see if it fits!
Over a dozen stalls like this one sell pressed orange juice at 3 dirhams a glass.
This simple game of fishing for bottles also draws the crowds.
The whole place is transformed into a food court at night lit up by hundreds of gas lanterns. (In the background is the Koutoubia Mosque).
The locals and tourists who come out in full force at night to eat here give the square a carnival atmosphere. Great place to meet the local people.
This stall offers fried fish to be eaten with bread or French fries. Be warned that you'll have to eat with your fingers so have your Kleenex tissue paper at hand!
Sheep's brain and all are also to be found here as well as soup made from chick peas or beans (lubia).
This stall sells tea made with ginseng and cinnamon. It certainly heats up the body on a cold night.
While the musicians play, the crowd join in spontaneously by clapping hands in rhythm.
Arabian lights for Arabian nights in one of the few permanent shops in the square. The others are all makeshift stalls, folding and unfolding as day turns to night in order to give way to foodstalls.
Trees laden with oranges are a common sight in the streets of Marrakech.
Photo shows the entrance to Gueliz, Marrakech's new township. The imposing McDonald's with its famous yellow M façade gives a hint that you are leaving the world of the medinas behind.
The Rue Bab Agnaou leading to the Djemaa el-Fna Square, is crowded with shoppers and diners at night
The Koutoubia Mosque, 70m tall and admired for its magnificent minaret, overlooks the Djemaa el-Fna Square.
Go here for a first-hand account of his holiday in Marrakech by Keith Paterson. Superb photos!
