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Essaouira

City in Morocco

189km

31.40388-9.68472

Casablanca

City in Morocco

194km

33.65-7.5833

Fez

City in Morocco

451km

34.3-4.6
Sights (11)

Jemaa el-Fnaa

The highlight of any Marrakech night. Musicians, dancers, and story tellers pack this square at the heart of the medina, filling it with a cacophony of drum beats and excited shouts. Scores of stalls sell a wide array of Moroccan fare (see the Eat section) and you will almost certainly be accosted by women wanting to give you a henna tattoo. Enjoy the various shows, but be prepared to give some dirham to watch. By day it is largely filled with snake charmers and people with monkeys, as well as some of the more common stalls.

91m

31.62583333-7.98944444

Koutoubia Mosque

Named after the booksellers market that used to be located here. It is said that the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque is to Marrakech as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. The minaret is visible from Gueliz which is connected to the Medina by Avenue Mohammed V. At night, the mosque is beautifully lit. It was completed under the reign of the Berber Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199), and has inspired other buildings such as the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat. Non-Muslims are not allowed inside.

572m

31.624124-7.993541

Ben Youssef Mosque

The first mosque in Marrakesh was erected at this place by the Almoravid emir Yusuf ibn Tashfin in the 1070s. However, it was almost completely rebuilt in early 19th century by the Alaouite sultan Suleiman, with hardly any trace left of its original Amoravid or Almohad design. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter it.

589m

31.631925-7.98716111

Saadian Tombs

The tombs were not discovered until the beginning of the 20th century. They have been preserved just like they were during the glory days of the Saadian rulers. Unlike the El Badi Palace, they were not destroyed, probably for superstitious reasons. The entrance was blocked so they remained untouched for hundreds of years. Inside you will find an overload of Zelij (Morrocan tiles) and some beautiful decoration. It's rather small so it does not take a lot of time to explore. Also there are no explanatory signs whatsoever in the venue, so it's recommended to hire a guide to explain you what you're seeing to get the most out of your visit.While here, look for the tombs of Jews and Christians; they are noted by their different markings and direction of the tomb.

818m

31.6173-7.988702

Bahia Palace

An ornate and beautiful palace, build at the end of the 19th century for grand viziers of the sultan. Popular with guided tours and stray cats. The palace is well worth a visit and gives a great impression of what it must have been like to be a 19th-century nobleman in Morocco. There is a nice garden with banana flowers, tranquil courtyards, and other lovely plants. Attention must be given in finding the entrance. Google Maps will bring tourists nowhere near the entrance. The entrance is located on Riad Zitoun el Jdid, at 31.62089,-7.98414

822m

31.62159167-7.98223056

Agdal Gardens

It consists of groves of orange, lemon, fig, apricot and pomegranate trees in rectangular plots, linked by olive-lined walkways. Together with the medina of Marrakech and the Menara Gardens, the Agdal Gardens were listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1985.

2.1km

31.6061-7.9797

Majorelle Garden

It provides an excellent respite from the hustle and bustle of the city streets, if not crowded by tourists as it sometimes is. The park was designed by the artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 1930s. Since 1980 the garden has been owned by Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé. It boasts a collection of plants from around the globe, including what seems like every cactus species on the planet. Get here early to avoid the crowds. Inside the gardens is also the Berber Museum, which shows a slightly bigger and more modern presentation than the Dar Si Saïd.

2.3km

31.64277778-8.00305556

Menara gardens

A mixture of orchards and olive groves surrounding the water reservoir with the central pavilion which is a popular sight on tourist postcards. Not a decorative garden, and now quite run down. The pavilion was built during the 16th-century Saadi dynasty, and renovated in 1869. It has a small cafe, but it is not open all hours. There are no toilets open when the cafe is closed.

3.9km

31.61333333-8.02166667

High Atlas

(Arabic: الاطلس الكبير, Berber: ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ ⵏ ⴷⵔⵏ) – regular destination for mountain hikers, ski enthusiasts, or travellers interested in the indigenous Berber culture

54km

31.061944-7.916111

Aït Benhaddou

One of the best preserved Kasbahs. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Very picturesque place, lots of movies were shot there (Gladiator). 10 dirham to visit kasbahs. You don't need a guide, but locals will follow you pretending to help and at the end will ask for money. See more information in the specific article. Be careful not to get too wet from the river when crossing it, since there's been reports of schistosomiasis contracted from the water.

110km

31.04722222-7.12888889

Atlas Corporation Studios

130km

30.94166667-6.96666667
Nature

we will see

Marrakech

Morocco
We have visited Marrakech but haven't got round to putting something here. Checkout our Instagrams in the meantime.

Marrakech

Marrakech, also spelt Marrakesh, is one of the imperial cities of Morocco.

By road, Marrakesh is located 580 kilometres (360 mi) southwest of Tangier, 327 kilometres (203 mi) southwest of the Moroccan capital of Rabat, 239 kilometres (149 mi) southwest of Casablanca, 196 kilometres (122 mi) southwest of Beni Mellal, 177 kilometres (110 mi) east of Essaouira, and 246 kilometres (153 mi) northeast of Agadir. The city has expanded north from the old centre with suburbs such as Daoudiat, Diour El Massakine, Sidi Abbad, Sakar and Amerchich, to the southeast with Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, to the west with Massira and Targa, and southwest to M'hamid beyond the airport. On the P2017 road leading south out of the city are large villages such as Douar Lahna, Touggana, Lagouassem, and Lahebichate, leading eventually through desert to the town of Tahnaout at the edge of the High Atlas, the highest mountainous barrier in North Africa. The average elevation of the snow-covered High Atlas lies above 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). It is mainly composed of Jurassic limestone. The mountain range runs along the Atlantic coast, then rises to the east of Agadir and extends northeast into Algeria before disappearing into Tunisia.

The Marrakesh area was inhabited by Berber farmers from Neolithic times, and numerous stone implements have been unearthed in the area. Marrakesh was founded in 1062 (454 in the Hijri calendar) by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, chieftain and second cousin of the Almoravid king Yusuf ibn Tashfin (c. 1061–1106). Under the berber dynasty of the Almoravids, pious and learned warriors from the desert, numerous mosques and madrasas (Quranic schools) were built, developing the community into a trading centre for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural and religious centre, supplanting Aghmat, which had long been the capital of Haouz. Andalusian craftsmen from Cordoba and Seville built and decorated numerous palaces in the city, developing the Umayyad style characterised by carved domes and cusped arches. This Andalusian influence merged with designs from the Sahara and West Africa, creating a unique style of architecture which was fully adapted to the Marrakesh environment. Yusuf ibn Tashfin completed the city's first mosque (the Ben Youssef mosque, named after his son), built houses, minted coins, and brought gold and silver to the city in caravans. The city became the capital of the Almoravid Emirate, stretching from the shores of Senegal to the centre of Spain and from the Atlantic coast to Algiers.

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Climate

Average temperatures

Jan

18.4°C5.9
Precipitation: 32.2 mm

Feb

19.9°C7.6
Precipitation: 37.9 mm

Mar

22.3°C9.4
Precipitation: 37.8 mm

Apr

23.7°C11
Precipitation: 38.8 mm

May

27.5°C13.8
Precipitation: 23.7 mm

Jun

31.3°C16.3
Precipitation: 4.5 mm

Jul

36.8°C19.9
Precipitation: 1.2 mm

Aug

36.5°C20.1
Precipitation: 3.4 mm

Sep

32.5°C18.2
Precipitation: 5.9 mm

Oct

27.5°C14.7
Precipitation: 23.9 mm

Nov

22.2°C10.4
Precipitation: 40.6 mm

Dec

18.7°C6.5
Precipitation: 31.4 mm