Marrakesh City Guide

Points covered:

It’s History
Location
Local Customs
Marrakesh Dishes
Best Places and Things to Do in Marrakesh
Travel Advice

Marrakech city is the fourth largest city in Morocco. It is the present capital of the mid-southwestern region of Marrakesh-Safi in Morocco. Filled with Berber farmers since the Neolithic times, this city is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. In this article, we shall examine the history, location, and climate while discussing the features that make this city different and unique from its imperial kin and also talk about why this city is a perfect travel destination with our Marrakech Travel Guide.

History

The region where Marrakech City stands today was initially occupied mainly by Berber farmers from the Neolithic times. The evidence of the activities of the initial occupants of this city can be found in the numerous stone implements that have been discovered in various places in and around the city. Around the year 1062, the cousin of the king of Almoravid at that time Abu Bakr Ibn Umar founded the city of Marrakesh and became the first ruler of the city. The city then later developed to become one of the four imperial cities of Morocco due to its economic and political power. The development of Marrakech City can be attributed to the great mosques and various other structures that were constructed by Ali ibn Yusuf around 1122-1123. These maze-like structures were constructed in red stones giving the city the nickname “The Red City” and making it even more famous with a lot of Things to Do in Marrakech.

After the rapid development of the city of Marrakech, it experienced somewhat of a decline around the 13th century and was replaced by the rival city of Fez as the capital, but in the 16th century, it regained its prominence under wealthy Saadian sultans who reconstructed many ruined moments and built a lot of beautiful palaces.

Today, Marrakech city is a Historical emporium filled with vendors selling exotic goods at their stalls, the medina quarter in Marrakesh, is now a UNESCO world heritage site, making it one of the busiest cities in Africa. The city of Marrakesh now serves as a major economic and tourist destination and has a lot of Things to Do in Marrakech.

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Location

The wonderful city of Marrakesh is located in the western part of the Atlas Mountain in western Morocco. It is situated 580km southwest of Tangier, 327km southwest of the present Moroccan capital Rabat, 239km south of Casablanca, and 246km Northeast of Agadir. This city is home to a large number of mosques, palaces, and beautiful gardens. The medina is filled with closely packed structures with alleys where local artisans sell traditional textiles, pottery, jewelry, and a lot more that you can see and Things to Do in Marrakesh.

Local Customs

Marrakech City celebrates a lot of beautiful and colorful festivals most of which are national and Islamic festivals. National holidays are given on the days of the most important of festivals & Celebrations. The Cultural festivals celebrated in Marrakesh include but are not exclusive to the National folklore festival, the Marrakesh festival of popular arts, the Berber festival, and lots more. These festivals bring out the beauty of the city and show foreigners how appreciative the people of Marrakesh are of their cultural heritage. Apart from the amazing festivals celebrated in Marrakech City, one of the most interesting Things to Do in Marrakesh is you can see the people living in this city also flaunt their culture through their amazing and unique music, dance, and artworks. There are majorly two types of traditional music associated with Marrakesh and they are Berber music and Gnaua Music. Berber music can be traced to Andalusian classical music, and it is performed with the Oud in accompaniment. Gnaoua music, on the other hand, is loud with a sound similar to that of the blues.

One of the best Things to Do in Marrakech is shopping as the arts and crafts made in Marrakesh have had a great influence on Moroccan handicrafts even to the present day. These crafts were mainly carpet, textiles, ceramics, woodwork, metalwork, and zellij mands from Riad décor. The carpets and textiles are usually weaved, sewn, or even embroidered. Due to their great beauty, they were in high demand during the medieval period, and thus, they contributed to the rapid rate of economic development of the city. Woodcrafts made from mostly cedar are also very popular in this city. The large amounts of artisans and craft men that work in this city have transformed it into a rapidly growing market & one of the biggest markets in North Africa.

Marrakesh Dishes

The city of Marrakesh is also renowned for its tasty and amazing food that is prepared in the city. one of the best Things to Do in Marrakech is to try these delicious dishes as Marrakesh’s sensational and tasty meals are something you don’t want to miss as you travel to this wonderful country. Here are some examples of these special delicious local dishes of Marrakesh are listed below:

Tehal

The Tehal is basically stuffed camel spleen which is synonymous with sausage. The camel spleen is stuffed with beef, lamb, and spices; the stuffed spleen is then baked in an oven. The baked spleen can then be served with bread.

Harira

Often served at the end of Ramadan, Harira is a soupy meal that is filled with lots of meat and spices. It is also served to visitors on special occasions.

Tanjia Marrakshia

This is a meal that is special and symbolic to the city, it is prepared with beef, lamb, and spices and then slow-cooked in traditional ovens for a long period of time.

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Best Places and Things to Do in Marrakesh

There are a lot of interesting and fascinating places you can visit as you travel to this wonderful and ancient city and you might even have a hard time when choosing which places to go to. To help you, we have selected the best and most interesting places in this city.

Medina souks
Koutoubia Mosque
The Bahia palace
Dar Si Said museum Of Moroccan arts and crafts
The Majorelle Gardens

Travel Advice

As you travel to this wonderful city, it is important that you know that the ancient structures found all over the city are a great and important part of the city’s history and culture. Therefore, respect these structures and do not be careless around them

Even though the city is relatively safe and peaceful, be security conscious as you move around as there are bound to be some criminals lurking around to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists.

Finally, try as much as possible to travel with a travel agency that will help you with your accommodation, will let you try the most interesting Things to Do in Marrakech, and will also provide you with a travel guide. This will make your journey easier and relatively stress-free.