Visit Marrakech: what are the best things to do and see in the Red City? Lively and exciting destination, Marrakech offers a perfect blend of culture, stunning landscapes, and fascinating architecture. The one nicknamed “The Pearl of the South” or “The Red City”, although it is said to be disfigured by mass tourism has a myriad of places of interest that will not make you hesitate twice when You will need to take your plane tickets to visit Marrakech! To help you organize your stay more easily, we have listed the best things to do in Marrakech for you. So what should you visit in Marrakech to make sure you don’t miss a thing in the city? Follow the leader! The palm grove of Marrakech The Palmeraie de Marrakech has more than 100,000 trees on approximately 15,000 hectares, mainly palm trees as well as a date production and a vegetable garden. It is a well-known natural and tourist heritage in Morocco that you absolutely must-do if you come to visit Marrakech.In addition, it is possible to explore this place on a camel ride or during a quad ride! The Ouzoud waterfalls Located about 150 kilometers from Marrakech, it is impossible to miss the Ouzoud waterfalls if you come to visit Marrakech! Considered to be the most beautiful and highest waterfalls in Morocco, you can then swim, have a picnic, but also meet the local monkeys. The Majorelle Garden Unmissable in the new town: the Majorelle Garden (botanical garden with bluish colors). The garden belonged to fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. When he died in 2008, his ashes were scattered around the garden. If you like gardens, read our article “Visit the Gardens and Ramparts of Marrakech”. The Marrakech Museum In addition to learning about the history of Marrakech, a visit to the Marrakech Museum will give you the opportunity to appreciate one of the most beautiful architecture in the city. Located in the center of Marrakech, this is a must do in Marrakech!The museum is housed in the Dar Mnebhi Palace which was built at the end of the 19th century and is a perfect example of classical Andalusian architecture. The atlas mountains A few hours by car from Marrakech, the Ourika Valley in the Moroccan High Atlas is a real sight to see. The temperature can drop, so bring a small sweater or jacket and take your best walking shoes.The path in the mountain is rocky, you will cross small bridges over the rivers which flow on the sides of the mountain. The view from the mountains is superb and well worth a day trip. The bazaars Going to the souks is a must if you visit Marrakech. The souks are great for getting a good deal, but you have to be willing to haggle to get a good price. You are even expected to do so!How to negotiate? As a rule of thumb, halve the price offered to you, and negotiate from it. Don’t necessarily feel like you have to buy, as you might be intimidated, but don’t give up if you’re not happy with the price. Jemaa el-Fna Square You will surely pass on the Place Jemaa el-Fna (“place of the dead”) if you come to visit Marrakech. This famous public square attracts over a million visitors each year. “The cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna” has been registered as intangible cultural heritage since 2008 and as a world heritage since 1985 by Unesco.It’s its traditional and popular side that appeals, especially at night! We can especially meet snake charmers. So if you are not afraid of the crowds and want to taste the good atmosphere of the city, you know what to do in Marrakech. The Koutoubia Mosque This magnificent 12th century Sunni mosque, whose minaret overlooks the surroundings, is one of the must-see places in Marrakech. Its architecture and ascetic decor perfectly illustrate the art of the Almohads!Be careful though because you will not be able to enter if you are not a Muslim! Medersa Ben-Youssef The Medersa Ben-Youssef is a medersa, in other words a Koranic school, with breathtaking Moorish architecture that you should not miss if you come to visit Marrakech! Menara Gardens What to do in Marrakech when you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city? Between ponds and olive trees, it is in the Menara gardens that you can come and recharge your batteries.Arranged under the Almoahades dynasty, they are located about 45 minutes walk from Jemaa el-Fna square, in central Marrakech. Bahia Palace Visiting Marrakech without visiting its magnificent palaces is impossible! Former nineteenth-century palace of eight hectares, the Bahia Palace is one of the masterpieces of Moroccan architecture and Islamic art, one of the major monuments of the country’s cultural heritage, and one of the main places of tourism in Morocco! Bab Agnaou Built in the 12th century during the Almohad dynasty, Bab Agnaou is one of the nineteen Bab, or gates, of Marrakech. This is the entrance to the royal kasbah!You will find it in the southern part of the medina of Marrakech. C’est son côté traditionnel et populaire qui séduit, et particulièrement la nuit ! On peut notamment rencontrer des charmeurs de serpent. Alors si vous n’avez pas peur des bains de foule et que vous voulez goûter à la bonne ambiance de la ville, vous savez quoi faire à Marrakech. Medina of Marrakech Historic heart of Marrakech, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Medina is the place to go if you want to visit Marrakech and its historical and traditional side!Stroll around this part of the city and be sure to visit the many historical monuments that can be found there. Some are in this article! The Secret Garden What else to do in Marrakech? The Secret Garden! An elegant 19th century palace renovated recently, it stands out for its splendid decoration and its traditional exotic and Islamic gardens.You will find it near the Medersa Ben Youssef in the Mouassine district of

Marrakech city

Articles / Trekkingholidays

The Famous Marrakech city Marrakech (in Arabic: مُرَاكُش, murrākuš; in Berber: ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, Meṛṛakc), is a city located in central Morocco at the foot of the Atlas Mountains4. Marrakech is nicknamed “the red city” N 1 or the “ocher city” in reference to the red color of a large part of its buildings and houses5. Marrakech and its urban area have in 2020 a little more than one million inhabitants 2. By its population, the city is the third agglomeration of the country, on a par with its historical rival, Fez, and behind Casablanca. Imperial city, like Fez, Rabat and Meknes, Marrakech was the capital of Morocco for nearly 350 years, under the Almoravid (11th – 12th centuries), Almohad (12th – 13th centuries), Saadian (16th – 17th centuries) dynasties ), as well as during the reign of Mohammed ben Abdallah of the current Alawite dynasty (reigning from 1757 to 1790). Marrakech is home to a vast medina of 600 hectares, the most populous in North Africa, and classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Thanks to the vitality of its 900-year-old medina, its world-class hotel infrastructures, and its sunny climate, Marrakech has established itself as the undisputed capital of tourism in Morocco. Served by the country’s second airport in terms of traffic, Marrakech – Menara airport, the city welcomed nearly 3 million visitors in 2019. Origin of the Marrakech Before travel Several hypotheses coexist as to the origin of the name of the city. The most widespread among historians considers that the name of Marrakech is a contraction of the Berber Amur n’Akush. Amur means “country” and Akouch, or Yakouch means “God”, which gives “the land of God” 6. A less widespread alternative etymology proposes the interpretation of “land of the course” . Medieval Arabic-speaking sources have been numerous to offer fanciful Arabic origins in the name of Marrakech. Some of these etymologies have been taken up in contemporary works. For Louis Deroy and Marianne Mulon, for example, authors of the Dictionary of place names, the name comes from the Arabic Marruquch “la bien parée” 8 from رقش “to ornament, embellish”. Origin of the name Several hypotheses coexist as to the origin of the name of the city. The most widespread among historians considers that the name of Marrakech is a contraction of the Berber Amur n’Akush. Amur means “country” and Akouch, or Yakouch means “God”, which gives “the land of God” 6. A less widespread alternative etymology proposes the interpretation of “land of the course”. Medieval Arabic-speaking sources have been numerous to offer fanciful Arabic origins in the name of Marrakech. Some of these etymologies have been taken up in contemporary works. For Louis Deroy and Marianne Mulon, for example, authors of the Dictionary of place names, the name comes from the Arabic Marruquch “the well adorned” from رقش “to ornament, embellish”. Name influence The word “Morocco” and its equivalents in various European languages are directly derived from the word “Marrakech”. From the 1130s, sixty years after the founding of the city, the name appears in Latin sources to designate the capital of the Almoravid empire6. In the fourteenth century, we identify the forms “Marroch” in Catalan (from which the French name derives), “Marruecos” in Castilian, “Morrocco” in Tuscan, and “Marrocos” in Portuguese, undoubtedly the oldest form, the ” ‘s final being hissed in Portuguese. In the fifteenth century, Portugal exerted strong military pressure on Morocco. The country is split in two, the Wattassids having Fez as their capital and reigning over the north of Morocco and the Hintata then the Saadian sheriffs reigning over Marrakech and the south of the country. European geographic literature then endorses the idea that the Maghreb al-Aqsa is made up of the kingdoms of Fez and Morocco. It is finally the name of the capital of the south ends up imposing itself on the whole country. In addition, until the twentieth century, Morocco was known in the East under the name of Marrakech (a name still relevant in Iran). During the Almohad period, Marrakech was famous for its leather craftsmanship. The tanning of the skins was already carried out there in the tanneries of Bab Debbagh in the east of the city. The leather accessories made in Marrakech were so famous that we began to speak in Castile of marroquinería to designate them. This term ended up spreading in other languages such as French, the “leather goods” being used to designate the activity as well as the articles using as main material the leather. Histoire Capitale des empires almoravide et almohade Marrakech (Mourrakouch) was founded in the year 1071 (year 463 of the Hegira) by the Berber sovereign Sanhadjiens Almoravid Youssef ben Tachfine11 and his queen Zaynab Nefzaouia, also of Berber origin. Very quickly, in Marrakech, under the leadership of the Almoravids, pious warriors and austere scholars from the current Mauritanian desert, many mosques and madrasahs (Koranic theological schools) were built, as well as a shopping center draining traffic between the Western Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. Marrakech grew rapidly and established itself as an influential cultural and religious metropolis, supplanting Aghmat and Sijilmassa. Palaces were also built and decorated with the help of Andalusian craftsmen from Cordoba and Seville, who brought the Umayyad style characterized by chiseled cupolas and multi-lobed arches. This Andalusian influence merged with Saharan and West African elements and was synthesized in an original architecture totally adapted to the specific environment of Marrakech. The city became the capital of the Almoravid Emirate, a Eurafrican empire that stretched from the banks of the Senegal River to the center of the Iberian Peninsula and from the Moroccan Atlantic coast to Algiers. The city was then fortified by the son of Youssef Ibn Tachfin, Ali Ben Youssef, who built around 1122-1123 ramparts that are still visible. While Youssef Ben Tachfine led victorious campaigns in Al-Andalus, subduing the kinglets of the taifas and repelling the offensives of Castile and Aragon, his wife Zaynab Nefzaouia exercised in Marrakech an important power, with all the

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