Magical Marrakech

We have been exploring Marrakech and it is a beautiful city with stunning views and very warm people. When I first moved the the Middle East, I thought that it would be like an Arabian nights adventure. However, living in Dubai is like living in any top metropolitan city in the world. It was only when we arrived in Marrakech, that for the very first time in 3 years of living in this part of the world, did I feel like I had entered one of the pages of Arabian nights.

The beauty of Marrakech is, it is situated in between the mountains and the beach, hence if you could go skiing or to the beach in almost the same amount of time.

Being inland, the temperature in Marrakech is a lot higher than Casablanca.?As a result, the city is at its liveliest best in the evening, post sunset. Across the two days, we explored Marrakech in the day and night.

Jemaa el-Fnaa is one of the largest tourist attractions. It is the most unique market and market square that I have ever seen. Full of snake charmers, musicians, magicians and monkey tamers, the quiet square during the day, transforms into something else at night.

At night, there are thousands of people and the entire square looks like it it is glowing thanks to the fire and lights in the restaurents in the square. There are also a lot of street vendors selling boiled snails to eat, in case you are feeling adventurous.

On crossing the square you see a big old market with an Arabian Nights charm of its own. People selling sweets, spices, bags, shoes, jewels, antiques and so much more in little shops through the meandering lanes of the market.

This old sweets shop was one of the most colourful sweet shops I have ever seen.

I had a Carrie moment when I saw all the shoes..

…and bags hanging from the ceiling!

I wanted to bring back all these beautiful lights with me.

The market has many lanes and it is easy to get lost in there for hours. If you have an eye for artisanal antiques, you might find yourself haggling for every single dirham here.

We then found ourselves heading to see the?Koutoubia mosque. It is close to?Jemaa el-Fnaa and is the largest mosque in Marrakech. It looks grand and beautiful.

The main railway station of Marrakech has a beautiful archway and looks quite splendid as well.

We finally made our way the old Marrakech. The old town of Marrakech is bound by walls and has that old world charm. They allow cars inside the pink city walls, but it is mainly full of narrow pedestrian streets.

 

Overall our stay in Marrakech was magical! Having grown up in Mumbai, I rarely get overwhelmed by looking at the numerous colours of the city or a crowd of people, but Marrakech changed all that. It is a stunning city with an old world charm that has been preserved very well. I wish we had a little more time to explore the city. It was one of the most mesmerising places I have ever been to.

D x