This square and market place is surely not to be missed!
The bizarre but amazing Djemma el Fna, the famous market square of Marrakech that every tourist should never miss! When the sun goes down, the square livens up to the exotic drum beating of musicians, street entertainers, and acrobatic shows.
But before anything else, let me bring up this question that has faced so many about the true ethnicity of the Moroccans (and I believe Algerians and Tunisians too): Are Moroccans Arabs or Africans?
In my understanding, genetically speaking, Moroccans are better related to the Arabs than to the Africans. You can see it clearly in their skin colour and facial features. Culturally speaking, they are also Arabs; they come from the descendants of the Sunni Muslims from Berber or Arab-Berber stock. They also speak and write Arabic, which is the national language of the country. Arabs conquered the country in the early centuries and because of this the Arab influence has been very strong since then.
Morocco may be part of the African continent but geographically the country is much closer to Europe and the Middle East. So… are Moroccans Arabs or Africans? I’d like to say they are Arabs of Berber origin.
Trivia: Did you know that Marrakech is the tourist gateway of Morocco? And that Marrakech is one of the 4 King Cities namely Fes, Meknes, Rabat (seat of government, and where the king lives permanently) and Marrakech? These 4 cities are called the 4 King Cities because each city houses a palace of the king.
Anyway, back to the topic of this post. There are speculations that the Djemma el Fna could mean 2 things: the assembly of the dead or the mosque pertaining to the vanished Almoravid mosque that is actually located perpendicular to the market square to the north of the central souqs beside the Marrakech Museum and Ali Ben Youssef Medersa.
No one can really point the meaning of Djemma el Fna but everyone knows and unanimously agrees that this important and ancient square is the heart and soul of Marrakech. UNESCO has declared Djemma el Fna as one of the world heritage sites.
Having our early morning (sweet) mint tea on Djemma el Fna.
The busy Djemma el Fna at dusk. This is on the other side of the square (forms like an inverted L-shaped square), taken from atop a terrace restaurant.
A 1-minute footage of the chaotic rush in Djemma el Fna at dusk. The food stalls are already ready to take your orders!
Can you see the sheep’s or goat’s head? The Moroccan chef is preparing these for a sumptous dinner for the very adventurous lot!
At dusk the Djemma el Fna becomes a big open-air restaurant. Let us eat =). Only for the brave.
He is beckoning me for some boiled snails.
During the day, you can find snake charmers, henna tattoo women, orange juice and dried figs and dates stalls, sellers hawking chained apes and caged turtles and iguanas, storytellers, and even dentists showing off the hundreds of teeth they have pulled out! Later on in the day, the square becomes more crowded and the spirit intensifies to the loud drum beating of musicians, street entertainers, and acrobats.
I actually jumped and scuttled away like a frightened little squirrel when a vendor selling colourful Berber hats attempted to put a hat on my head. I was watching this snake charmer from a distance who was successful in charming the cobra with his musical flute but little did I know that the snake charmer actually has 5 other assistants (they are all dressed in white djellabahs) roaming around nearby with a snake too in their hands.
So you can imagine my fright when I saw the white dressed assistants with snakes writhing and curled up in their hands and arms coming up to me when the hat vendor attempted to place a hat on my head! For a moment, I thought someone tried to place a snake on my head or neck! EWWW! That really gave me the creeps!!! I can still feel my nerves go faint. ACKKKK.
And before dusk, hundreds of open-air food stalls are erected serving traditional Moroccan cuisine. Steamed snails are popular too and the vendors have their own stalls. For the gastronomic adventurer this place is definitely a must eat. However, Blondine and I shied away from eating here because the touts were so aggressive, a big turn-off really. We also didn’t like the meat in the open air with the flies all over, plus heads of goat and sheep placed on top of the table grinning, their teeth still in tact. Ugh, so much for whetting our appetites!
OK, at least here in Morocco I am taller than the men, haha.
Romancing the cobras with music! Ewww!
Dried fruit (mostly dates and figs) vendors on the square. We met 2 Australian girlfriends who thought they were chocolates, haha.
Freshly pressed orange juice.
Bread vendor on the square. During the day there are all sorts of vendors here, even a dentist performing extraction of a tooth with the use of a thread.
Pick your choice of tranportation, donkey or bike.
Or you can be the transportation as well.
Street musicians – they are very aggressive, once they see you (a foreigner) getting near, they quickly dash to you for tips.
These are henna tattoo ladies waiting for a customer.
Selling anything you can on the square.
Marrakech is at the crossroads of religions and cultures. People from extremely traditional Muslim backgrounds to moderate followers and very modern types – there is even a Christian community, and a Jewish quarter and synagogue in the medina, they all peacefully co-exist. So it’s very important to know where to go and where you can get, say for example, a bottle of wine.
But honestly, both of us were traumatized by the belligerent vendors and entertainers who are always aggressively following you for tips on Djemma el Fna that we spent most of the evenings some place else. And whenever we pass by the square I am always watching and looking around for the snake men, ha-ha.
BUT, the Djemma el Fna is a must stop! It brings you to a totally different world. Truly an amazing experience.
Travel Period: April 2009