An assault on the senses

Our first afternoon in Marrakesh was spent wandering outer laneways in the Medina (old city) and visiting a couple of its landmark locations. Today’s highlights included Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fnaa, often called the city’s most iconic sights. Both venues are less than ten minute's walk from our slightly rustic Riad hotel. 

Koutoubia is the largest mosque in Marrakesh and one of Morocco’s most sacred houses of worship. It stands in a large plaza surrounded by gardens filled with fruit trees and date palms. The complex is dominated by a large square minaret tower 77 metres high which is floodlit at night.

The minaret's prominence makes it one of Marrakesh's landmark structures, a status maintained by a city ordinance that prohibits tall buildings (above the height of a palm tree) in the surrounding area. The mosque is also in active use which means non-muslims aren't allowed to enter. As a result, Garry and I had to content ourselves with a stroll around its exterior and through its landscaped gardens.

Interestingly, the current building is the second of two mosques built on the same site. Historians believe Abd al-Mu'min started constructing the first complex in 1147, the same year he conquered the city. However, shortly after its completion in 1157, construction began on a second mosque next door.

The reasons for the second venue’s presence aren’t clear. Scholars believe its construction was ordered to correct a slight misorientation of the first mosque's alignment with Mecca. Today, a series of clearly preserved ruins outline the original building’s location.

Jemaa el-Fnaa can be found nearby. It’s a massive public square covering more than 20,000 sqm. It’s filled with an endless array of market stalls, people and animals. During the day it’s predominantly occupied by fruit juice stalls, water sellers with traditional leather water bags and brass cups, youths with chained monkeys and snake charmers taunting deadly cobras.

As darkness falls, the animals are replaced by musicians, dancers, storytellers (who tell colourful tales to an audience of locals), magicians, and brightly lit food stalls jam-packed with communal tables and bench seats. As the night air cools, the crowd builds and fills the plaza with, at times, an overwhelming cacophony of sights, sounds, and lights. It’s a total sensory overload. Check out the video below for a taste of the vibe after dark.

Elsewhere in the Medina, we encountered spice merchants selling herbs, dried fruits, and nuts, as well as a stunning store selling hand-beaten brass lanterns embossed with ornate geometric patterns. And where else could you witness an old man deftly navigating a handcart stacked with mattresses along a narrow cobbled lane?

We returned to the Medina the following day for walking tour that took us through many of Marrakesh’s iconic tourist sights. Follow this link to learn more.