Jamaa el-Fnaa

In your visit to Marrakech, you simply can't miss a nighttime visit to Jamaa el-Fnaa. I'd suggest heading around 11pm, more or less, and having a tea in one of the terraces (rooftop, preferably) of the bars that circle the square and soak in the controlled chaos that slowly builds. Snake charmers, stands that pop up out of nowhere, juice vendors, monkeys, women offering to paint you with henna....And, above all, lots of effort to coax the more clueless tourists into the square's restaurants which charge rates way above the normal for Marrakech (in the end, this is an first step in every tourist's initiation to the Arab world! :D). Since a video is worth more than world, I'll leave you a video which I shot.

There's nowhere (and I mean nowhere) on Earth like the Djemaa El Fnaa, the iconic main square in the Medina of Marrakech. You'll realize this as soon as you get off the bus from the airport and stroll along the main drag: the air is filled with the pounding drums of the gnaoua musicians, someone will walk past you with a monkey, you'll small dozens of grills cooking all kinds of meats rubbed with all kinds of spices. It's that precise moment when you realize you're not at home anymore.

During the day, it's fairly calm and is basically an open-air marketplace. But at night, it transforms into a carnival. I'd suggest getting there around dark and grabbing a bit to eat. I wouldn't suggest actually entering the food area; the central part is all tourist-oriented mixed grills and you'll have to battle and endless line of people hassling you to eat at their place. Instead, opt for the cheaper, more authentic, and friendlier roast lamb or soup vendors around the edge.

Monkeys, motorbikes, cars, snakes, small markets... everyone wants to sell you something. At sunsets and night it’s even more beautiful.

You must have special attention with pickpockets here, it’s easy to lost you’re wallet and get lost also.

Tajines are a cultural item of Morocco. Every family has one of these clay pots used for cooking their dishes. At the medina, or market square, these colorful decorative tajines are a beauty to behold.

I love it, and I would love to go back there again and again.

Younes Essouiri

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