Marrakesh, founded in 1072, Marrakech has being from the beginning a major trade destination between Africa, Europe and the middle-east. Nowadays it is a popular destination for discovery and excitement. It is the capital of the south and the epicenter of the Moroccan tourism industry.
Once the hub of camel caravans crossing the Sahara desert all the way from Tombouktou, Marrakesh remains exotic, but just as Moroccans craved modern housing, Europeans arrived dreaming of old houses in the heart of the medina. This happy exchange has transformed the place, bringing money and work to a city that lives off its looks and its wits.
Traversing the alleyways, particularly in the Medina (Old City), it is easy to believe you have been transported back in time or stumbled onto a movie set for a medieval 'Arabian nights' production. The heart of the Medina is Djemaa el-Fna, an irregular 'square' where everything seems to happen and the place to which tourists are drawn again and again to soak up the carnival-like environment. The modern side of Marrakech with its luxury hotels, banks and streets bursting with motor scooters, blends well with the past in a metropolis made up of the peoples of the Berber Atlas tribes, Mahgrebis from the plains, and Saharan nomads.
One of the many ways to soak up the sights and sounds of Marrakech is in one of the hundreds of horse-drawn carriages, known as caleches, that are for hire, but it is also necessary to take in the Medina's souks on foot, plunging into the hurly burly maelstrom of passages where tradesmen ply various crafts, from cloth dying, and leather working to herbalists, perfumers and slipper makers, and where shopkeepers cajole passing tourists into taking a look at their glorious array of colorful crafts. It is idyllic for those you love strolling and learning, feeling and experiencing. Take the time to watch and listen...