About
Jemaa el-Fna square, listed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral Heritage of Humanity, is the beating heart of the medina. By day you'll find snake charmers, henna artists, and fresh orange-juice vendors. By night the square transforms into a vast open-air restaurant with dozens of traditional Moroccan food stalls.
The souks are organised by trade: dyers' souk, babouche souk, wool souk, spice souk, Berber jewellery souk. Lose yourself in the alleyways (derbs) and admire the architecture: riads with inner courtyards and fountains, Quranic madrasas with chiselled stucco, palaces with painted cedar ceilings.
Highlights
Jemaa el-Fna Square
Lively heart of the medina, UNESCO-listed
Thousand-year-old souks
Textiles, spices, leather, Berber jewellery
Ben Youssef Madrasa
Jewel of Almoravid architecture (14th century)
Bahia Palace
160 rooms, 8 hectares of gardens
Saadian Tombs
Royal necropolis from the 16th century
