Detail from the Saadian tombs

A fine place to spend the Millennium weekend, and to take some pictures! The main "sight" in Marrakech is the eight-hundred-year-old Koutoubia Minaret:

...and by night

Koutoubia minaret by day...

Detail of the Koutoubia

...but the main attraction is the Djemaa Al Fna, the assembly of the dead, the main square, home to storytellers, acrobats, magicians, fortune-tellers, food-sellers and other itinerants!

Fortune teller

Djemaa al Fna by day

Orange juice stalls in the Djemaa al Fna

Surrounding the Djemaa Al Fna are innumerable markets or souks, with all manner of crafts and sellers of wares.

Tinsmiths' souk

Dyers' souk

Donkey carrying sheaves of mint

Carpets aging in the sun

Preserves

Lanterns

Locksmiths' souk

Blacksmith and apprentice

Spices in the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter

Narrow street, just off the main souk

Stuffed fox in an apothecary's shop

Fruit and spice sellers

And my favourite peaceful spot, the ruins of the El Badi Palace.

Main court of the El Badi palace, looking towards the fifty-cubit pavilion

Storks nesting on the walls

Me in the El Badi palace

You can't go into the mosques in Morocco if you're a non-Muslim, but you can enter the Medersa Ben Youssef, the old seminary:

Mosaic

Arch with stalactites

Plus they've got loads of internet cafés so you can check your e-mail! A nice place to chill, that's for sure. All photos copyright © Andrew Gilham 2000