Must-Visit Attractions in Marrakech – Culture Trip

Between its frenetic square-heart, its religious buildings, its numerous palaces transformed into museums or hotels, Marrakech has an architectural tradition of fantastic richness. Add to this a few artists’ homes, an industrial tradition and ancestral shopping galleries, and Marrakech competitions Fez, the venerable cultural capital of Morocco.

Curiosities and practical information to know before visiting Marrakech and its monuments

Only Muslims can go to the mosques as per a decision taken in the 1930s by Lyautey through the French protectorate.

The ramparts of Marrakech encircle the Medina for 19 kilometers. Almost 6 meters high, 20 gates, and 200 towers ensured its own protection. They were assembled from the Almoravids when the town was founded in the 12th century.

Several imposing palaces on the maps of the city can’t be seen:

The Royal Palace

Credit: The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace was built by the Almohads in the 12th century, remodeled from the Saadians (16th century) and the Alaouites (17th century). The palace isn’t open to the general public. It’s the private property of the French businessman Dominique du Beldi. The Moulay Idriss Palace cannot be visited either.

El Badi Palace in Marrakesh, a colossal ruin of a once sumptuous palace

Credit: El Badi
To take the excessiveness of the Moroccan sultans, go to the El Badi Palace in Marrakech. It took 16 years to construct, it had been used as a palace for over 100 years before being destroyed for 20 years. El Badi Palace is situated east of the Kasbah south of the Medina of Marrakech…

Medersa Ben Youssef in Marrakech

Credit: Medersa Ben Youssef
The Ben Youssef medersa is the most beautiful example of Arab-Andalusian architecture which you could visit in Marrakech. The medersa is under renovation until 2020. The medersa Ben Youssef is situated north of the Medina of Marrakech in the district of Mouassine. Nearby is the souks district, the home of photography, the museum…

False guides of Marrakech: To find your way rather than to be duped?

You’re lost. If a person comes to your help, he’ll ask you for money. That’s how it is. So now how do you find your way around the medina of Marrakech on your own or use this”service” to best benefit? The Medina of Marrakech is a maze. Especially once you discover the town for the first time. Where it is possible to use Google…

Riads of Marrakech, garden house in Morocco

Credit: Riads of Marrakech
“Riad” in Arabic for”backyard”. The riads are the traditional homes of the Moroccan medinas open on an interior courtyard punctuated with trees, a fountain, or a swimming pool.

Saadian Tombs in Marrakech, imperial burial and tourism in a single file [Kasbah]

Credit: Saadian Tombs
The Saadian Tombs in Marrakech houses the graves of the Saadian royal household. Possibly a nice example of Hispano-Moorish decorative art but a place overall disappointing. The Saadian Tombs are located south of the Medina of Marrakech and the Jemaa el Fna square in the Kasbah near the Royal Palace …

Koutoubia Mosque, the logo of Marrakech [Medina]

Credit: Koutoubia Mosque
The Koutoubia mosque is the emblematic spiritual building of Marrakech, it was remodeled by the Almohads in 1162. The Koutoubia mosque is located between the Medina of Marrakech and the New City, 200 meters from the Jemaa el Fna square. A short history and construction of the Koutoubia Dynasty.

Bahia Palace, the most sumptuous in Marrakech [Southern Medina]

Credit: Bahia Palace
Several places in Marrakech unite Arab-Andalusian architecture, sumptuous interior design and garden art. The Bahia Palace is the most remarkable of them all. The Bahia Palace is situated in the south of the Medina of Marrakech near the Kasbah and the old Jewish quarter of the Mellah of Marrakech.

Place Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech, the vibrant heart of Morocco [Medina]

Credit: Jemaa el-Fna
Market since the base of Marrakech, incidentally place of public executions and eventually place of shows daily as the 17th century, the Jemaa el Fna square is a special location in Morocco and in the world. The Jemaa el-Fna square is situated in the heart of the Medina (or old town ) of Marrakech.

Amelia