The very name Marrakech (also Marrakesh) carries with it a waft of the exotic – a pungent mix of spices and perfumes, scented woods, incense, mint tea, cooking fires and the very breath of the Sahara. Once the great camel caravan stop-over for trade between the Mediterranean lands and sub-Saharan Africa, this ancient Morocco town has always drawn in foreign visitors, from the artists and writers of the 1930s to 1960s hippies taking the Marrakech Express (Crosby, Stills and Nash song, 1969) .
Its many attractions start with a wonderful setting within sight of the forested, snow-capped High Atlas Mountains. Marrakech thus escapes the baking desert heat in summer, but has mild winters and enough water to support oasis-style palm groves, farming and pleasant gardens. Another claim to fame is the way the city is in fact two towns, each with its own distinctive character, one warmly Arab-Berber, and the other coolly French.
Medina or Old Town
This walled city is the heart of Marrakech. Its narrow alleys (souks) lined with market stalls, with areas specializing in various goods and trades – fruit and vegetables, leather working, ceramics, metal work, wool dying and carpets, to all kinds of modern imported goods. Also within, or just outside the walls are some fine examples of Islamic architecture such as the beautiful Koutubia Tower and mosque, with other mosques, royal palaces and tombs and Koranic schools (medersa).
The New Town or Ville Nouvelle
When Morocco was a French Protectorate (1912-1956) a second town was built to the north and west of the bustling, crowded Medina, where French style and culture reigned and still dominates in the elegant form of spacious public buildings, private villas, hotels, gardens, smart boutiques and restaurants specializing in haute cuisine influenced by traditional Arab and Berber flavours and spices.
