The medina is the main reason why most tourists visit Marrakech. A medina, common feature of Moroccan cities, is an old part of town within the city walls (which are very well preserved in Marrakech). Marrakech medina has a special atmosphere and style and sometimes you feel you were taken many years back to the history. Some aspects of life in Marrakech medina have remained the same for centuries, while modern civilization has only slowly started to find its way to the everyday reality.
Streets and Markets in Marrakech Medina
Marrakech medina is dominated by trading activity. Markets (or Souks) present the main content of the numerous narrow streets. You can buy almost anything you think of, from food and spice to electronics and (especially in the recent years) souvenirs and goods oriented to foreign tourists. People from foreign countries have been visiting Marrakech for decades and there are many hotels in Marrakech medina. The number of visitors has increased in the recent years thanks to low cost airline connections from Europe.
Houses in Marrakech Medina
If you have the opportunity to get on the roof of a hotel or a house in Marrakech medina, take the chance. The view from the height is quite different from what you see down in the streets. The special thing about Marrakech medina is that to a large extent the way many things get done, the architecture, and the style of the town have not changed much for centuries, but at the same time, the modern way of life and new technologies have found their way to the medina too.
Modern World Meets Traditions
In fact a picture like this can be seen not only in Marrakech medina, but in the whole Morocco (and many other countries too for sure). You can see houses which look like they can collapse in a moment, but on the roof there is a satellite, and if you got invited inside, you would probably find things like TVs, DVD players, and computers. Life has been changing fast in Marrakech in the last years.
It is not uncommon to see a mule and a Mercedes alongside one another in the streets of Marrakech. The contrasts and the mixture of traditions and modern world are among the most amazing things you will find in Marrakech.