Jacobs - Pocket Rough Guide Marrakesh

The last few years have seen Marrakesh well and truly established as Moroccos capital of chic, attracting the rich and famous from Europe and beyond. Yet the city has always had a mystique about it. Its a place of immense beauty, sitting beneath the dramatic peaks of the High Atlas mountains its narrow alleys beg discovery while its thoroughfares bustle with excitement and vitality. Arguably the last outpost of the Mediterranean before the Sahara, Marrakesh is still steeped in nomadic and West African influences. Nowhere is this fact more evident than in the Jemaa el Fna, the main square at the heart of the old town. Here youll find a constant reminder that Marrakesh was once the entrept for goods (gold, ivory and slaves) brought by caravan across the desert.

Like all Moroccan cities, Marrakesh is a town of two halves: the ancient walled Medina, founded by Sultan Youssef Ben Tachfine back in the Middle Ages, and the colonial Ville Nouvelle, built by the French in the early twentieth century. Each has its own delights the Medina with its ancient palaces and mansions, labyrinthine souks and deeply traditional way of life; and the Ville Nouvelle with its pavement cafs, trendy shops, gardens and boulevards.

Marrakesh is sometimes called the Red City, and it wont take you long to see why. The natural red ochre pigment that bedecks its walls and buildings can at times seem dominant, but theres no shortage of other colours there are few cities as vibrant as this one. Marrakesh breathes the scents of the Middle East and Africa: of spices, incense, and fresh wood being cut and crafted in workshops on the street. Yet simultaneously it oozes a French-inspired elegance in its cool riads, haute cuisine, stylish boutiques and gorgeous clothes. Whatever the wider influences, Marrakesh is first and foremost a Moroccan city, basking in a unique combination of Arab and Berber culture, which infuses its architecture, its craftwork, its cooking and its people.