This article talks about important landmarks, architecture, and museums in the city of Marrakesh, Morocco.
Plazas and squares
Jemaa el-Fnaa, also called Djemaa el Fna, is the main area of activity in the medina, which is the old part of the city. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985. The name of the square may have several meanings, but historians believe it likely comes from the Arabic words for "ruined mosque" or "mosque of annihilation." This refers to a mosque built in the square in the late 16th century, which was never completed and later fell into ruin. The square was originally an open space for markets on the east side of Ksar el-Hajjar, the main fortress and palace of the Almoravid dynasty. The Almoravids founded Marrakesh as their capital in 1070. After the Almohads took control of the city, they built a new royal palace to the south, and the old Almoravid palace was abandoned. However, the market square remained. Over time, the square experienced periods of decline and renewal.
Historically, the square was used for public executions and decapitations by rulers to show power and control. It attracted people from nearby deserts and mountains to trade, and stalls were set up there early in its history. The square was a place for traders selling food, animal feed, and household items, as well as performers such as snake charmers, Berber women in long robes, camels and donkeys, dancers from the Chleuh Atlas tribe, and musicians playing pipes, tambourines, and African drums. Today, the square is visited by people from many backgrounds and tourists worldwide. It still has snake charmers, acrobats, magicians, mystics, musicians, monkey trainers, herb sellers, storytellers, dentists, pickpockets, and entertainers dressed in medieval clothing. The square has been described as a "world-famous square," "a metaphorical urban icon, a bridge between the past and the present, the place where (spectacularized) Moroccan tradition encounters modernity."
Place des Ferblantiers is a square located at the intersection of the original medina and the Kasbah, between the Badi Palace and the Bahia Palace. The Mellah and a small spice market are also nearby. The square was traditionally home to metalworkers, though few remain today.
Other squares and plazas include El Mashwar, El Moussalla, Place Bab Doukkala, Square Charles de Foucauld, Place de la Liberté, Place du 16 Novembre, Place Sidi Ahmed El Kamel, Place Youssef Ben Tachfine, Place Mourabiten, and Square Bir Anzaran.
Souks and merchant structures
Marrakech is home to the largest traditional markets in Morocco, and the city is well known for its souks. These markets mix Berber and Arab traditions. For example, Marrakech was founded by a Berber dynasty called the Almoravids, and many of the city’s early residents were Berber. However, the names of many jobs and the markets where they work are from Arabic. Paul Sullivan describes the souks as the main shopping attraction in the city, calling them "a maze of connected alleys, a small city within the old part of Marrakech filled with many stalls and shops. These range from tiny kiosks to larger stores that look like magical places once you enter."
Historically, the souks were divided into sections for different types of goods, such as leather, carpets, metalwork, and pottery. While the areas are still mostly organized, they now overlap more. There are also two types of souks: permanent and temporary. Permanent souks are long-lasting market areas with shops and stores, usually found along the city’s main streets. Temporary souks are smaller, open-air markets that appear daily or weekly in certain places. Many temporary markets are near the city’s gates. For example, the flea market near Bab el-Khemis (the "Thursday Gate") used to be held every Thursday but now happens most days of the week. Other temporary markets take place in the city’s squares, such as Rahba Kedima, where specific goods like wool, carpets, weapons, and (historically) slaves were sold at set times each week.
Unlike other Islamic cities, where expensive goods are sold near major mosques, Marrakech’s permanent souks are not necessarily near important mosques. Instead, they stretch from Jemaa al-Fnaa in the south to the Ben Youssef Mosque in the north. Some souks are housed in large buildings called kissaria or qaysariyya. These structures have many shops inside, each with wooden slats that open and close. They also have their own gates and were traditionally closed at night. One example of a kissaria today is a group of four parallel lanes between two main streets near Souk Semmarine. This area was likely built during the Almohad period (12th–13th centuries) and was known for selling textiles and clothing. Another kissaria, also for clothing, was once near the Ben Youssef Mosque but was torn down in the 20th century. The open space where it stood is now called Place de La Kissaria.
Many souks sell items like carpets, traditional Muslim clothing, leather bags, and lanterns. Haggling, or negotiating prices, is still common in these markets. One of the largest souks is Souk Semmarine, which runs north from Jemaa el-Fnaa and sells a wide variety of goods, from decorated sandals and slippers to jewelry and kaftans. Further north, Souk Semmarine splits into two main streets: Souk el-Kebir (the "Great Market") and Souk el-Attarine ("Spice Market"). Other markets branch off from these streets. For example, Rahba Kedima, a triangular plaza near Souk Semmarine, sells handwoven baskets, natural perfumes, hats, scarves, and T-shirts, as well as Ramadan tea, ginseng, and animal skins. The Criée Berbère, near Rahba Kedima, is known for dark Berber carpets and rugs. Other souks, like Souk Ableuh, specialize in olives, lemons, chilis, and pickles, while Souk Kchacha sells dried fruits and nuts. Souk Siyyaghin is known for jewelry, and Souk Smata for babouches and belts. Souk Cherratine focuses on leather goods, and Souk Belaarif sells modern items. Souk Haddadine is for ironware and lanterns, and Souk Sebbaghin, the Dyers’ Souk, is famous for dyed wool, skins, and silk.
Ensemble Artisanal is a government-run center for crafts, offering goods like leather, textiles, and carpets. Workshops in this area teach young people traditional crafts.
A funduq is a type of building used by merchants in Morocco and other parts of the Muslim world. Also called a caravanserai, these buildings had large courtyards and rooms for merchants to live and work. They were often near major streets or city gates, where trade was common. Some funduqs specialized in certain goods, like sugar or spices, while others were linked to merchant groups or religious communities.
Funduqs have been part of Marrakech’s history since the city began. Their importance changed over time, growing during periods of prosperity like the Almoravid and Almohad eras (11th–13th centuries), the Saadian period (16th century), and under some later sultans. However, during the 20th century, French colonial rule caused many funduqs to be converted into homes or fall into disrepair. Today, most are still used for crafts or small businesses, and some have been restored. According to recent records, there are about 96 funduqs in Marrakech, fewer than the 132 counted in 1972. Some well-preserved examples are located near the Mouassine Mosque and Ben Youssef Mosque.
City walls and gates
The ramparts of Marrakesh, which extend for about 19 kilometers (12 miles) around the city's medina, were built by the Almoravids in the 12th century as protective walls. The walls are made of a special type of orange-red clay and chalk, which gives the city its nickname, "the red city." These walls reach up to 19 feet (5.8 meters) in height and include 20 gates and 200 towers along their length.
One of the most well-known gates is Bab Agnaou, constructed in the late 12th century by the Almohad caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur as the main entrance to the new Kasbah. The name Agnaou, similar to Gnaoua, refers to people of Sub-Saharan African origin (related to the phrase "land of the black"). In some historical records, the gate was also called Bab al Kohl or Bab al Qsar. The corners of the gate are decorated with floral patterns. These decorations are framed by three panels that include a passage from the Quran written in Maghrebi script using foliated Kufic letters, a style also used in Al-Andalus. Bab Agnaou was later renovated, and its entrance was made smaller during the rule of Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah.
The medina has at least eight main historic gates: Bab Doukkala, Bab el-Khemis, Bab ad-Debbagh, Bab Aylan, Bab Aghmat, Bab er-Robb, Bab el-Makhzen, and Bab el-'Arissa. These gates were built in the 12th century during the Almoravid period, though many have been altered over time. Bab Doukkala, located in the northwestern part of the city wall, is larger and less decorated than other gates. It is named after the Doukkala region on the Atlantic coast, far to the north of Marrakesh. Bab el-Khemis is in the northeastern corner of the medina and is named for the open-air Thursday market (Souq el Khemis). It is one of the city's main gates and includes a man-made spring. Bab ad-Debbagh, to the east, has one of the most complex designs, with an interior passage that turns multiple times. Bab Aylan is slightly farther south. Bab Aghmat is a major southern gate, located east of the Jewish and Muslim cemeteries and near the tomb of Ali ibn Yusuf. Bab er-Robb is the other main southern exit, near Bab Agnaou. It has an unusual position and layout, possibly due to changes made to the surrounding area over time.
Gardens
The Menara Gardens are a garden-orchard located to the west of the old city, centered around a large water reservoir. The reservoir and gardens were first built in the 12th century by the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min. Later, they were restored and replanted. A pavilion near the lake, often seen with the Atlas Mountains in the background, was built in 1870 during the reign of Sultan Muhammad IV. An earlier pavilion from the Saadian period may have stood on the same site. Olive and fruit trees grow in the orchards, which are watered by the reservoir. Water from the southern mountains was directed to the gardens and the city through underground channels called khettaras. A small modern amphitheater is also located near the reservoir. Carp fish live in the pond.
The Agdal Gardens are a large garden-orchard covering 340 hectares to the south of the historic city. Created in the 12th century, they are surrounded by walls made of rammed earth and connected to the city’s Kasbah and Royal Palace. Two large reservoirs are located among orchards with olive, orange, and other fruit trees. The largest reservoir, Dar al-Hana, is viewed from a modern palace pavilion. Earlier pavilions and palaces existed on the same site. Another palace, Dar al-Bayda, was built in the 19th century further north. Additional pools, pavilions, and structures were added by Alaouite sultans in different parts of the gardens.
The Majorelle Garden, located on Av Yacoub el Mansour, was once the home of the painter Jacques Majorelle. The designer Yves Saint Laurent later bought and restored the property. A stele (stone monument) honors Saint Laurent, and the Berber Museum is housed in a dark blue building. The garden, open to the public since 1947, contains plants from five continents, including cacti, palms, and bamboo. Descriptive signs label each plant. Pools with lilies and pathways are part of the garden’s layout.
The Koutoubia Gardens are behind the Koutoubia Mosque. They include orange and palm trees and are visited by storks. The Mamounia Gardens, over 100 years old and named after Prince Moulay Mamoun, have olive and orange trees, flower beds, and a variety of plants.
Other gardens include Annakhil: Palm Grove, Aarssat Elhamed, Aarssat Moulay Abdessalam, Aarssat Elbilk, Ghabat Achabab, and Bab Errab Garden.
Palaces and riads
The Royal Palace of Marrakesh, also called Dar el-Makhzen, is located at the southern end of the city and covers most of the eastern part of the Kasbah quarter. The Almohads built a palace complex on this site in the 12th century as part of their new kasbah. Later, in the 16th century, the Saadians completely changed the palace’s design, and the Alaouites made further changes after the 17th century. Most of the palace’s current form was created in the 18th century during the rule of Mohammed Ben Abdallah. Today, the palace includes large gardens and courtyards surrounded by rooms and pavilions. The main entrance is on the south side, reached through a series of mechouars (walled squares) and gates. A visitor in the 1980s described a reception room filled with Victorian-style settees covered in white and gold brocade. The palace is still used by the King of Morocco and is not open to the public.
The El Badi Palace is located north of the Royal Palace and was originally part of a Saadian-era palace complex. It was built by Saadian ruler Ahmad al-Mansur after his victory over the Portuguese at the Battle of the Three Kings in 1578. The palace was created to impress the sultan’s guests. Construction took about 25 years and was funded by money from ransoms of captured Portuguese nobles, sugar cane profits, and trade profits from routes in Africa. Materials like Carrara marble from Italy, and others from France, Spain, and India, were used. The palace’s layout, with two large pavilions facing each other across a symmetrical courtyard, reflects traditional Andalusian/Moorish design seen in the Court of the Lions at the Alhambra. After the Saadian dynasty ended in the 17th century, the palace fell into disrepair and was later looted for its valuable materials by the Alaouite ruler Moulay Isma'il. Today, the ruins are open to visitors, and the Marrakech Folklore Festival is held there in spring.
The Bahia Palace was built in the late 19th century by Grand Vizier Si Musa and his son, Ba Ahmed. Ba Ahmed lived there with his four wives, 24 concubines, and many children. The name "Bahia" means "brilliance," and the palace was intended to be the greatest of its time. It was designed to reflect Islamic and Moroccan styles. Ba Ahmed focused on privacy, using features like multiple doors to block outside views. He added to the palace over seven years with the help of hundreds of craftsmen from Fez, who worked on wood, stucco, and zellij tiles. The palace became one of Morocco’s finest, with a hammam (bathhouse), stables, and a mosque. A large garden area to the east was connected to the palace by a bridge. After Ba Ahmed’s death, the palace was seized by the state. Today, it is sometimes used for official events but is mostly open to the public as a tourist attraction.
Many palaces built by wealthy and political leaders in the 19th and early 20th centuries have been preserved in Marrakesh. Some, like Dar Mnebhi (now the Marrakesh Museum), Dar Si Said, and Dar el Basha, are now museums. Dar Moulay Ali houses the French consulate. These palaces show the luxurious style of the time, using traditional Moroccan decoration and sometimes blending European influences that became popular in the late 19th century. They often included living areas, reception halls, kitchens, and hammams.
Traditional Moroccan homes were designed to face inward, protecting families from the weather and ensuring privacy. This was done through a central courtyard or garden and small windows on the outside walls, which were made of rammed earth or mud brick. This design matched Islamic traditions that valued privacy and separated family spaces from areas for guests. Wealthy homes sometimes had stucco, zellij tiles, and Arabic calligraphy on their walls. Many well-decorated homes from the Saadian period (16th–17th centuries), such as Dar Cherifa, Dar al-Mas'udiyyin, and Dar al-Masluhiyyin, still exist. The Mouassine Museum also has a preserved Saadian-era douiria, or upper-floor guest room.
The term "riad" (from Arabic: رياض) describes a type of garden divided into four equal parts with a fountain in the center. These gardens were common in Islamic palaces because water and greenery symbolized paradise in Islam. The earliest known riad in Morocco was built in the early 12th century by Ali ibn Yusuf in the Almoravid palace in Marrakesh. This design became popular in Marrakesh due to the warm climate and available space, making it suitable for the city’s wealthy homes and palaces. Fruit trees like oranges and lemons were often planted in the central gardens of riads.
In recent years, the word "riad" has also been used to describe traditional Moroccan homes that have been restored and turned into hotels or guesthouses. Marrakesh was one of the first cities to focus on riad renovations, and the growth of tourism in the 21st century has led to more examples of this in and around the old medina.
Places of worship
Koutoubia Mosque, also called Kutubiyya Mosque, Jami' al-Kutubiyah, Kutubiyyin Mosque, and Mosque of the Booksellers, is the largest mosque in the city. It is located in the southwest of Jemaa el-Fna square. The minaret, which is 77 meters (253 feet) tall, has a spire and orbs. It was founded by the Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu'min in 1147 and completely rebuilt shortly after. It likely reached its current form by Yaqub al-Mansur in 1195. The mosque is made of red stone and brick in a traditional Almohad style. It measures 80 meters (260 feet) wide to the east and 60 meters (200 feet) wide to the west. The design prevents people from seeing the king’s harems from the minaret. The mosque has four entrances, with three leading directly into the prayer hall. There are six interior rooms stacked one above the other. The prayer hall is a hypostyle hall with more than 100 columns that support horseshoe-shaped arches. The minaret, made of sandstone, is one of the most famous in the western Islamic world, along with the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat. It was originally covered with Marrakshi pink plaster, but in the 1990s, experts removed the plaster to reveal the original stone. The spire has gilded copper balls that get smaller toward the top, a traditional style in Morocco.
Ben Youssef Mosque, also called Bin Yusuf Mosque, is the oldest mosque in the city. It was built in the 12th century by the Almoravid Sultan Ali ibn Yusuf, after whom it is named. It served as the city’s main Friday mosque. It was abandoned during the Almohad period and fell into ruin. It was rebuilt in the 1560s by the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib and completely rebuilt again by the Alaouite sultan Moulay Sliman in the early 19th century, with the minaret finishing in 1819 or 1820. This reconstruction removed all traces of the original mosque. The current mosque is smaller than the original and has a different qibla orientation. Abdallah al-Ghalib also built the nearby Ben Youssef Madrasa, which had a library and operated as an educational institution until the 20th century.
The Koubba Ba’adiyin, also called Koubba el Barudiyyin or Qubbat el-Murabitin ("Almoravid Koubba"), is a two-story ablutions kiosk discovered in 1948 from a sunken location on the mosque site. It shows a sophisticated style and is an important example of Moroccan architecture. The structure has arches: scalloped on the ground floor and twin horseshoe-shaped on the first floor. The dome is framed with a battlement decorated with arches and seven pointed stars. The interior of the octagonal arched dome has carvings bordered by Kufic script that includes the name of the creator, Al ben Youssef. The corners of the dome have muqarnas. The kiosk has motifs of pine cones, palms, and acanthus leaves, which are also found in the Ben Youssef Madrasa.
The Kasbah Mosque overlooks Place Moulay Yazid in the Kasbah district of Marrakesh, near the El Badi Palace. It was built by the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansour in the late 12th century to serve as the main mosque of the Kasbah, where he and his officials lived. It has a unique floor plan and courtyard layout that sets it apart from other Moroccan mosques. It competed with the Koutoubia Mosque for prestige, and its minaret’s decoration influenced later Moroccan architecture. The mosque was repaired by the Saadian sultan Moulay Abd Allah al-Ghalib after a gunpowder explosion in the 16th century. The Saadian Tombs were built just outside its qibla wall, and visitors now walk behind the mosque to see them.
The Mouassine Mosque, also called Al Ashraf Mosque, was built by the Saadian Sultan Moulay Abdallah al-Ghalib between 1562–63 and 1572–73. It is located in the Mouassine district and is part of a larger complex that includes a library, hammam (public bathhouse), madrasa (school), and a triple-arched fountain called the Mouassine Fountain. The fountain provided water to locals and is one of the largest and most important in the city. It is decorated with geometric patterns and Arabic inscriptions. Along with the Bab Doukkala Mosque, built around the same time and with a similar design, the Mouassine Mosque was likely created to support the development of new neighborhoods after the Jewish district was moved to the new mellah near the Kasbah.
Other mosques include the Marinid-era Ben Salah Mosque, Barrima Mosque, Zawiya of Sidi Bel Abbes, Zawiya of Sidi Ben Slimane al-Jazuli, Zawiya of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, Sidi Moulay el-Ks
Tombs and burial grounds
The Saadian Tombs were built in the 16th century as a royal burial place for the Saadian sultans and their family members. It is located near the south wall of the Kasbah Mosque. The site was forgotten for many years until the French found it in 1917 by studying aerial photographs. The mausoleum holds the remains of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty, which began in the valley of the Draa River. Among the tombs are those of Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur and his family. Al-Mansur buried his mother in this royal burial place in 1590 after expanding the original square funeral structure built by Abdallah al-Ghalib. His own mausoleum, beautifully decorated, was inspired by the Nasrid mausoleum in the Alhambra of Granada, Spain. It includes a roof made of carved and painted cedar wood supported by twelve columns of Carrara marble, as well as walls covered in detailed geometric patterns made of zellij tilework, Arabic calligraphic writing, and plant designs carved into stucco. The chamber also contains the graves of his close family members and some of his successors, many of whom are covered with horizontal tombstones made of finely carved marble. His chamber is connected to two other rooms, the largest of which was originally a prayer room with a mihrab, later used as a mausoleum for members of the Alaouite dynasty.
Marrakesh is also known for the tombs of its "Seven Saints" or "Patron Saints of Marrakesh," which are visited yearly by pilgrims during a week-long pilgrimage called a ziara. The tour of the Seven Saints' tombs follows the layout of the city rather than the order in which the saints lived. The tour visits the tombs in this order: Sidi Yusuf ibn Ali Sanhaji, Sidi al-Qadi Iyyad al-Yahsubi, Sidi Abul Abbas Sabti, Sidi Mohamed ibn Sulayman al-Jazouli, Sidi Abdellaziz Tabba'a, Sidi Abdellah al-Ghazwani, and finally, the tomb of Sidi Abderrahman al-Suhayli. Many of these mausoleums are also the center of their own zawiyas (Sufi religious complexes with mosques), including: the Zawiya and mosque of Sidi Bel Abbes (the most important), the Zawiya of al-Jazuli, the Zawiya of Sidi Abdellaziz, the Zawiya of Sidi Yusuf ibn Ali, and the Zawiya of Sidi al-Ghazwani (also known as Moulay el-Ksour).
Like other medieval cities, most of Marrakesh's major cemeteries were located outside the city walls, often near the gates. These included the Cemetery of Bab el-Khemis, the Cemetery of Sidi al-Suhayli (which contained the saint's mausoleum), and the large Cemetery of Bab Aghmat. The Jewish Mellah also had its own cemetery, known as the Miara Cemetery.
Mellah
The mellah (old Jewish Quarter) is located in the kasbah area of the city's medina, east of Place des Ferblantiers. It was built in 1558 by the Saadians on the site where the sultan's stables once stood. At that time, the Jewish community included many of the city's bankers, jewelers, metalworkers, tailors, and sugar traders. During the 16th century, the Mellah had its own fountains, gardens, synagogues, and souks. Until the French arrived in 1912, Jews could not own property outside the Mellah, so expansion happened inside the quarter. This explains the narrow streets, small shops, and houses built higher up. Today, the Mellah is called Hay Essalam and is smaller than the original. It is now mostly residential and has a population that is mostly Muslim. The Al-Azama Synagogue is surrounded by a courtyard. Its ezrat nashim ("upstairs gallery") is unusual because Moroccan women often stay near a synagogue entrance or in a separate room. The blue-and-white building also includes a community center, a Talmud Torah school, and a soup kitchen. The Jewish cemetery, the largest Jewish cemetery in Morocco, is next to the mellah within the medina. It is known for its white-washed tombs and sandy graves.
Hotels
Marrakech is one of Africa’s largest cities for tourists, with over 400 hotels. La Mamounia, also called Hôtel La Mamounia, is a 5-star hotel that combines Art Deco and Moroccan styles. It was built in 1925 by Henri Prost and A. Marchis. This hotel is considered the most respected in the city and is often called the "grand dame of Marrakesh hotels." Many famous people, such as Winston Churchill, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Mick Jagger, have stayed there. Churchill often relaxed and painted in the hotel’s gardens. The hotel has 231 rooms and includes a casino. It was renovated in 1986 and again in 2007 by French designer Jacques Garcia. Other hotels in Marrakech include Eden Andalou Hotel, Hotel Marrakech, Sofitel Marrakech, Royal Mirage Hotel, and Piscina del Hotel. In 2020, Rotana Hotels began managing Morocco’s famous five-star Palmeraie Resort and its three hotels. In March 2012, Accor opened its first Pullman-branded hotel in Marrakech, called Pullman Marrakech Palmeraie Resort & Spa. Located in a 17-hectare olive grove at La Palmeraie, the hotel has 252 rooms, 16 suites, six restaurants, and a congress room that is 535 square meters (5,760 square feet) in size.
Museums
The Marrakech Museum is located in the old center, inside the Dar Menebhi Palace. The palace was built in the early 1900s by Mehdi Menebhi. It was restored by the Omar Benjelloun Foundation and turned into a museum in 1997. The building shows classical Andalusian architecture, with fountains in the central courtyard, traditional seating areas, a hammam, and detailed tilework and carvings. It is known for having "an orgy of stalactite stucco-work" that "drips from the ceiling and combines with a mind-boggling excess of zellij work." The museum's large atrium (originally a courtyard, now covered in glass and fabric) has a large chandelier made of metal plates decorated with geometric and epigraphic cuttings. Features like floor basins and mosaics from the original courtyard remain. The museum displays modern and traditional Moroccan art, along with historical books, coins, and pottery from Moroccan Jewish, Berber, and Arab cultures.
Dar Si Said Museum, also called the Museum of Moroccan Arts, is located north of the Bahia Palace, near Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jedid. It was once the home of Si Said, the brother of Ba Ahmed. After 1930, it became a museum of Moroccan art and woodcraft. The museum's collection includes "jewelry from the High Atlas, the Anti Atlas, and the extreme south; carpets from the Haouz and the High Atlas; oil lamps from Taroudannt; blue pottery from Safi and green pottery from Tamgroute; and leatherwork from Marrakesh." Until recent renovations, one of its oldest items was an 11th-century marble basin from the late caliphal period of Cordoba, Spain. After renovations by the Fondation Nationale des Musées, it reopened in 2018 as the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets.
The former home and villa of Jacques Majorelle, a blue-colored building in the Majorelle Gardens, became the Berber Museum (Musée Pierre Bergé des Arts Berbères) in 2011. It previously housed a museum of Islamic art. The museum displays objects from Amazigh (Berber) culture across Morocco. The museum shows Berber items from the Rif to the Sahara. The former Islamic art museum, now renovated, houses the Berber Museum and preserves its collection under international standards. The team involved in the museum's design includes Salima Naji, an architect and anthropologist in Rabat; Romain Simenel, an ethnologist and researcher in Rabat; and Ahmed Skounti, an anthropologist in Rabat. The renovation and layout were done by architect Christophe Martin, who also designed the Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco exhibition, seen by over 65,000 visitors. Museologist Björn Dahlström coordinated the museum's program until December 2019.
The museum has over 200 square meters of space and displays more than 600 objects showing aspects of Berber culture in Morocco. Maps, texts in French, English, and Arabic, photographs, films, and audio-visual materials guide visitors. There are four themed rooms: 1. The Berbers, 2. Traditional skills (craftwork, daily objects, festivals or ceremonies), 3. Jewels (a look at Berber jewelry from Morocco), and 4. Finery (costumes, weaving, arms, doors, carpets, and Berber musical instruments).
The House of Photography of Marrakech, opened by Patrick Menac’h and Hamid Mergani in 2009, displays vintage Moroccan photography from the 1870s to 1950s. It is in a renovated traditional house in the medina. The Mouassine Museum, also owned by them, is in a historic 16th–17th-century house in the Mouassine neighborhood, once home to painter Abdelhay Mellakh. It opened as a museum and cultural venue in 2014 and became a museum of Moroccan music (Musée de la Musique) in 2020, also hosting performances.
In the medina, the Dar El Bacha hosts the Musée des Confluences, which opened in 2017. It shows temporary exhibits about Moroccan culture and art from other cultures. The Tiskiwin Museum, in another restored medina mansion, displays artifacts from the trans-Saharan trade routes connected to the city. Other small, often privately owned museums in the medina include the Musée Boucharouite and the Perfume Museum (Musée du Parfum). Dar Bellarj, an arts center near the Ben Youssef Mosque, sometimes hosts art exhibits.
Many art galleries and museums are outside the medina, in Gueliz and surrounding areas. The Museum of Art and Culture of Marrakesh (MACMA), opened in 2016, displays Moroccan art and photography from the 1870s to 1970s. Since 2019, its collection of Orientalist paintings is at its sister museum, the Orientalist Museum in the medina. The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) is a non-profit gallery showing contemporary Moroccan and African art. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum, opened in 2017 near the Jardin Majorelle, displays work from the career of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. It is a sister museum to the one in Paris.
Education and culture institutions
The Ben Youssef Madrasa, located north of the Medina, was an Islamic college in Marrakech named after the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf, who ruled from 1106 to 1142. He helped expand the city and its influence. It is the largest madrasa in Morocco and was one of the largest religious schools in North Africa. It may have held up to 900 students. Today, it functions as a historical site and was the largest Islamic college in the Maghreb during its peak. It is widely recognized as an example of Saadian and Moroccan architecture.
The college was founded in the 14th century during the Marinid period by Sultan Abu al-Hassan. It was connected to the nearby Ben Youssef Mosque. This education center, which taught Koranic lessons, was part of similar institutions in Fez, Taza, Tale, and Meknes. The madrasa was rebuilt in 1564 by Saadian Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib, making it the largest and most impressive madrasa in Morocco. In 1565, the construction was completed, as noted by an inscription in the prayer room. The building has 130 student dormitory rooms arranged around a courtyard decorated with carved cedar, marble, and stucco. Following Islamic traditions, the carvings include no images of people or animals, only text and geometric designs. One of the school’s most famous teachers was Mohammed al-Ifrani, who lived from 1670 to 1745. The madrasa closed in 1960 but was restored and opened to the public as a historical site in 1982.
Cadi Ayyad University, also called the University of Marrakech, includes the École nationale des sciences appliquées de Marrakech (ENSA Marrakech), which was created in 2000 by the Ministry of Higher Education. ENSA Marrakech focuses on engineering and scientific research. Cadi Ayyad University was established in 1978 and operates 13 institutions across the Marrakech Tensift Elhaouz and Abda Doukkala regions of Morocco. These institutions are located in four main cities, including Marrakech, Kalaa of Sraghna, Essaouira, and Safi.
Major performing arts institutions in Marrakech include the Théâtre Royal de Marrakesh, the Institut Français, and Dar Chérifa. The Théâtre Royal was designed by Tunisian architect Charles Boccara and features columns. It hosts performances such as comedy, opera, and dance in French and Arabic. Many performances take place outdoors, especially in the main square and on the streets at night.
Transportation
The Marrakesh-Menara Airport (RAK) is located 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) southwest of the city center. It is an international airport that serves flights from Europe, Casablanca, and some Arab countries. The airport is at an elevation of 471 meters (1,545 feet) and is located at coordinates 31°36′25″N 008°02′11″W. The airport has two passenger terminals that are mostly combined into one large terminal. A third terminal is currently under construction. The existing T1/T2 terminals cover an area of 42,000 square meters (138,000 square feet) and are designed to handle 4.5 million passengers each year. The runway is 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) long and 45 meters (148 feet) wide. The airport ramp can hold 14 Boeing 737-sized planes and four Boeing 747-sized planes. The separate freight terminal has 340 square meters (3,700 square feet) of covered space.
The Marrakesh Railway Station (or Gare de Marrakech) was first built in 1923 during the French Protectorate. The current station building was completed in 2008 to replace the older structure. Its design is inspired by the large gateways found in traditional Moroccan architecture.
The Oued Tensift Bridge is a stone bridge built by the Almohads in the 12th century to replace an earlier Almoravid bridge that was destroyed. The bridge was designed to allow people to cross the river during its annual floods. Originally, it had 15 arches, but it has been expanded to 27 arches as the riverbed widened over time. The bridge’s pillars have a pointed and stepped shape on their upstream side to help resist the force of the water.