Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, as the food stalls light upJemaa el-Fnaa
- Best time
- Late afternoon into evening, when the food stalls set up
- Getting there
- Walk from the Koutoubia Mosque
Why it’s in the log
Jemaa el-Fnaa is the main square of Marrakech, a market and a stage at once. The origin of the name is unclear; one 17th-century account says a mosque was begun here and abandoned, and came to be called, ironically, the Mosque of Annihilation.
The square's storytellers, musicians and performers were the reason UNESCO created its programme for oral and intangible heritage: people feared they would be lost to development, and in 2001 the square was among the first proclaimed. In the evening the food stalls go up. Expect to be asked for money for any photo of a performer.
Also logged in Marrakech
All of Marrakech →Amal Center
Marrakech, MoroccoA Guéliz restaurant and training kitchen where every meal helps fund and train local women for kitchen work.
Henna Art Cafe
Marrakech, MoroccoA rooftop café and small garden above the souk, mint tea and henna application done by hand.
Riad Al Moussika
Marrakech, MoroccoA restored 19th-century mansion turned intimate riad in the Riad Zitoun quarter, built around an open courtyard.
Mentioned alongside
Marrakech
Rooftops, dyers' courtyards and a medina that is quiet if you let it be.
Henna Art Cafe
Marrakech, MoroccoA rooftop café and small garden above the souk, mint tea and henna application done by hand.
Mouassine
The dyers' quarter — indigo drying at four o'clock, rooftops facing the Koutoubia.
