ShareThisHere's a quick guide to sights in and around Marrakech:
-- Djemaa el Fna is the main attraction of any Marrakech night. Musicians, dancers, acrobats and storytellers fill this square at the heart of the medina with a chaos of activity, noise, sights, smells and tastes. Scores of stalls sell an array of Moroccan fare. Enjoy the various performers, but be prepared to pay to watch. By day the square is largely filled with snake charmers and people with (ill-treated) monkeys as well as the more common stalls.
-- The souks (suuqs) or markets of Marrakech along the streets that lead to and around Djemaa el Fna are where you can buy anything from spices to shoes, tangine pots, djellabas (robelike garments with hood), kaftans, Moroccan carpets and basketry. Be sure to bargain. If you happen to run out of dirhams -- the Moroccan currency -- plenty of people in the souks will be happy to exchange your dollars or euros, though probably for less than the official exchange rate. Don't expect to pay with a credit card, even at sit-down restaurants, and sometimes even large denomination dirham bills can be hard to use at the smaller stands.
-- Koutoubia Mosque, next to Djemaa el Fna, is named after the booksellers market once located here. Although non-believers are not permitted to enter the mosque, it is the prime place for prayers five times each day and beautifully lit at night.
--The Saadian Tombs were discovered only a century ago, preserved just as they were during the glory days of the Saadian rulers. Decorated inside with Zelij (Moroccan tiles), they don't take a lot of time to explore, but are worth a visit. Also look for the tombs of Jews and Christians buried here, which are noted by different letterings and the direction the tomb faces.
-- The Majorelle Gardens are situated just outside the medina. The entrance fee of 30 dirhams per adult is more expensive than Marrakech's other attractions, but in addition to providing excellent escape from the heat, the gardens boast an impressive collection of plants from across the globe. Once part of the estate of French designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergere, the gardens also include a small Museum of Islamic Art, which requires an additional entrance fee.
-- The Dar Si Said Museum is set in an old palace five minutes away from Djemaa el Fna (and just next door to Riad Si Said, where we stayed). It houses an eclectic assortment of artifacts from Morocco through the ages, woodcraft, carpets, clothing, pottery and ceramics.
-- Ben Youssef Madrassa, one of the largest educational institutions in North Africa, is a school attached to the Ben Youssef Mosque and is home to beautiful art and architecture.
-- Built in the late 19th century, El Bahia Palace is an ornate and beautiful complex, popular with guided tours and stray cats. Although entirely stripped of its furnishings, its ornately tiled rooms provide some insight of what it must have been like to be a nobleman in Morocco. Admission is 10 dirhams.
The El Badi Palace is now in ruins and inhabited by storks and stray cats, although the view from the terrace is spectacular. There are underground passageways to explore. Admission is 10 dirhams.
(Senior Pittsburgh Post-Gazette travel editor David Bear can be reached at traveler(at)travelsjournal.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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