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Marrakesh is a fascinating city. Like the other larger Moroccan cities, Marrakesh is a mix of old and new. We visited twice, yet barely wrote about it. In some ways, I loved it. Marrakesh is exciting, vibrant, colourful, and active. Yet, my reaction at the time was less positive. We were hassled, pinched, and given too much unwanted attention.

Now that I have moved all my photos to Lightroom, and the details of my memories have faded, I see it only as a beautiful destination. See if you agree:

Mosaic pattern in Marrakesh Morocco
Personally, I love the intricate mosaics seen in many of the buildings. (This design is available on Amazon).
Doors in El Bahia Palace in Marrakesh Morocco
Inside El Bahia Palace.
A window in Dar Si Said in Marrakesh Morocco
A window in Dar Si Said. It is now a museum but was once an 11th-century palace.
Stairs in Dar Si Said in Marrakesh Morocco
Stairs in Dar Si Said
Monkey in the Marrakesh Medina
Worse than just having a monkey on a chain, Marrakesh is one of North Africa’s largest centres of wildlife trade, despite much of it being illegal. According to Wikipedia, the sale of tortoises for pets is popular and some also deal in Barbary macaques and snakes.
Spices for sale in Marrakesh Morocco
Colourful spices are a common item for sale both in and out of the medina.
The entrance way to a mosque in the old medina in Marrakesh, Morocco
The entranceway to a mosque in the old medina.
An intricately carved column and wall in El Bahia Palace in Marrakesh Morocco
An intricately carved column and wall in El Bahia Palace.
Inside El Bahia Palace in Marrakesh Morocco
Inside El Bahia Palace.
Jemaa el Fna in Marrakesh Morocco
Jemaa el Fna is near the centre of the old city. At night we came here for food and storytellers. In the day, it is much different, offering a very eclectic mix.
truck driving in no driving area of medina
Look closely above this truck. It has hit and bent a sign stating “no driving in this area of the medina.”

More Information:

  • As one of Africa’s busiest cities, Marrakesh attracted over 8.1 million tourists last year.
  • There is also a modern side to Marrakesh outside of the Medina. However, we spent the vast majority of our time in the old portion of the town, the fortified medina filled with the activity that makes the city so popular among tourists.
  • Rabat is the current capital of Morocco. Historically, the capital city has changed many times between Fes, Marrakesh and Rabat.
  • Marrakesh or Marrakech (French spelling)? Like Fes, the city name is written in Arabic characters. They don’t translate directly to English. Both spellings are used and considered correct.
  • We found Lonely Planet’s Morocco Travel Guide to be quite helpful.

Have you been to Marrakesh? What was your impression?

If you enjoyed these Marrakesh photos, please share them on social media including Pinterest:

This is one of a collection of photos from Marrakesh Morocco by travel photographer Rhonda Albom.

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Comments

  1. A friend of mine recently visited Marrakesh and was mesmerized by it. She recommends it – and seeing your photos and story it’s no surprise!

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  4. Would love to visit…..every time I see a photo of Morocco I just get super excited. It’s a shame about the animal welfare issue though. Hadn’t really seen anything on this before so was interesting to note this. Great photos!

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  5. Great capture of the streets and interesting buildings and design. Morroco is definitely on my list. Your tips will come in handy for me. Thanks for sharing it.

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  6. Your photos are making me fall in love with Marrakesh. What kind of food do you suggest there? Are there any Michelin starred restaurants in Morroco?

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    • From an artistic and architectural point of view, Morrocco is my favourite place I have visited to date. I have never eaten at a Michelin star restaurant. We generally eat more local. For lunch, we frequently picked up bread from a bakery and cheese. For dinners, we ate a lot of tagine and couscous.

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  7. I haven’t been to Morocco yet, but I would really love to go. Your photos are very inspiring! I love how intricate and detailed all of the architecture is. When I go, I will probably spend all of my time in the older section of the city as well.

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  11. I’ve been to Marrakesh a couple of times, once as a teenager back in the 1980s and again with family about 8 or 9 years ago. It’s such a fascinating place to visit! For me, the market alleyways are the most interesting, I love seeing all the wares and interacting with the vendors about them. Some of my friends find the whole haggling thing a bit intimidating but I love it. I noticed that the pushy sales tactics were much less prevalent on my second visit than my first, which helped make it more enjoyable.

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    • The haggling isn’t an issue for us. In fact we enjoy it as part of the culture. It was one of my teenage girls that received the most hassles. It was the touching that bothered her the most.

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  13. It’s so interesting what you say about your experiences there – and it has certainly put me off visiting. But your pictures are truly stunning and the colours and architecture have always drawn me in (and the food!). I’d love to experience it all, and it is great that you can look back on your pictures and see the beauty.

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  16. Morocco has been on my radar for a long time, but I still didn’t make it there. I didn’t know its capital was changed so many times. I wonder why. Your beautiful pictures capture so well the atmosphere of the old part of Marrakesh.

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  20. Rhonda, the colors are magnificent! The intricate carving in the window shudders and column are amazing, as well as the carefully laid tile pieces. Can you imagine how much this sort of craftsmanship takes? I bet the laborer wasn’t paid nearly enough, either.

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    • We met and watched some craftspeople carving the intricate stones that make up the mosaics. It was so impressive. A skill that has been passed down and thankfully hasn’t been lost overtime.

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  22. Weren’t you worried at all during the time you were there? Just the thought scares me. You are a strong woman Rhonda even though the place is beautiful. Enjoy your day my friend. See ya.

    Cruisin Paul

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    • I looked it up after reading your comment. Ranking all countries by the number of murders per million, the USA is ranked number 43 with 42 murders per million people, Morocco is ranked number 66 with only 14 murders per million people, suggesting that we are 3 times as likely to get murdered in the USA than in Morocco. So, no we were not afraid. Sadly, one of the few places my girls feel afraid to visit is the USA, as we see mass shootings and gun violence on our news coming out of the states all the time. (The source on the page was the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2010 statistics).

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  26. Never been there but hope to one day. My family’s ancestry goes back to the moors so here’s hoping I get to visit at some point.

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  27. Oh those mosaics – the details in the beautiful window – and the stairs with all shades of blue!
    It must have been an unforgettable experience to visit Marrakech – Wonderful photos to remember the city!

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  31. Yes I’ve been and absolutely loved it!!! I didn’t find the hassle that bad to be honest. I speak French, maybe that helps? Loved the history, architecture and the intrinsic details of its palaces these pics bring it all back!

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  33. Hi Rhonda – ‘oh yes clever truck-man’ … sounds like our sat-nav drivers who apparently can’t see they’re in completely the wrong part of the country – tiny lanes, tiny villages … mega trucks … and thick drivers – who drive down railway lines?!

    Beautiful photos … I’d love to visit one day … I particularly like the stairs – cheers Hilary

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  34. I have been in Marrakesh and I found it fascinating! I have been in Morocco twice too and I wouldn’t mind to come back again, it is a place where I enjoy my hobby photography as it is colourful, vibrant, chaotic… and lots of the rest of senses that you cant appreciate in photos like noisy, smelly….lol
    Fabulous photography Rhonda!
    Have a great week 🙂

    You have already seen my posts of Marrakesh but I leave mine here anyway

    http://www.travelera.es/2015/03/bonjour-marrakesh.html

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    • I also love Morocco. Chaotic is the perfect word, and the one I was looking for in my mind but couldn’t find. We spent 31 days in the country and would have stayed longer if it had been easier to change our long haul flight back to New Zealand.

      Reply

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