Things to Do in Marrakech

The square whose name means 'assembly of the dead' — a reference to public executions held here before the French protectorate. Now it is storytellers, snake charmers, juice vendors, and the largest open-air restaurant in the world after sunset. UNESCO declared it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 — the first such designation for a public space rather than a building. Come in the afternoon when it is beginning to fill. Come again at 10pm when it is at full volume.

The minaret that became the template for two other towers in the Almohad empire — the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat. Both were built to the same specifications, which is why they look like relatives. The Koutoubia was built twice: the first version was torn down after someone realized the mihrab (prayer niche pointing toward Mecca) was slightly misaligned. Rather than adjust the prayers, they rebuilt the entire mosque. The ruins of the first version are visible to the north of the current building.

Grand Vizier Ba Ahmad ibn Musa built this palace in the 1890s with a specific architectural problem to solve: four wives and twenty-four concubines, all of whom required apartments that did not overlook each other's courtyards. The result is eight acres of rooms, gardens, and courtyards arranged so that no woman could see another. The name means 'brilliance' or 'beautiful.' The French took it as their administrative headquarters when they arrived in 1912 — the furniture they removed was never returned.

The Saadian dynasty built this mausoleum complex in the 16th century for their royal dead. When the Alaouites came to power, Sultan Moulay Ismail — who despised the Saadians — walled up the entrance rather than demolish it (tombs, even of enemies, are sacred). It sat sealed for two centuries until French aerial photography in 1917 revealed what was inside. The zellige tilework and carved plaster are among the finest examples of Moroccan craft from that period. Arrive early — the site is small and fills quickly.

The largest madrasa in North Africa was built in the 14th century, rebuilt by the Saadians in 1564, and housed up to 900 students at its peak. Students slept in the small cells on the upper floors and studied Quranic law in the courtyard below. The ornamentation follows a three-register system: zellige tiles at the base, carved stucco in the middle, and cedarwood lattice screens above. Look at the proportions of the central basin — it is positioned to reflect the carved plaster on the qibla wall opposite.

The souks of the Marrakech medina are organized by trade — spice sellers, leather workers, carpet sellers, metalworkers — each in their own quarter, as they have been for centuries. The organization is spatial memory: you find the copper souk by smell, the tanneries by the drying hides on the walls. Go in the morning when it is cooler and the light is better. Get lost deliberately. The medina is approximately one square kilometer — you cannot get so lost that you cannot find your way out within twenty minutes.

The public hammam is one of the oldest institutions in Moroccan city life — a social space, a hygienic necessity before indoor plumbing, and a weekly ritual. Traditional hammams (as opposed to tourist spa hammams) are cheap, intense, and nothing like a spa. You are scrubbed with a kessa mitt until a layer of skin lifts off. The water is very hot. You leave extraordinarily clean. Ask your riad to recommend a local hammam rather than a tourist one — the experience is different and the price is a fraction.

French painter Jacques Majorelle spent forty years creating this garden — a cobalt blue pavilion surrounded by an intentionally overcrowded collection of plants from five continents. Yves Saint Laurent bought it in 1980 to save it from a hotel development. The garden is beautiful but small and very crowded. The Berber Museum inside the pavilion is genuinely interesting. If you visit, go first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum next door has a thoughtful permanent collection.