Landmarks of Marrakesh

[2][3][4] The square was originally an open space for markets located on the east side of the Ksar el-Hajjar, the main fortress and palace of the Almoravid dynasty who founded Marrakesh as their capital in 1070.

The square attracted tradesmen in foods, animal forage and domestic items, snake charmers ("wild, dark, frenzied men with long disheveled hair falling over their naked shoulders"), Berber women in long robes, camels and donkeys, dancing boys of the Chleuh Atlas tribe, and shrieking musicians with pipes, tambourines and African drums.

Snake charmers, acrobats, magicians, mystics, musicians, monkey trainers, herb sellers, story-tellers, dentists, pickpockets, and entertainers in medieval garb still populate the square.

[1][9] It has been described as a "world-famous square", "a metaphorical urban icon, a bridge between the past and the present, the place where (spectacularized) Moroccan tradition encounters modernity.

[13] Paul Sullivan cites the souks as the principal shopping attraction in the city, describing it as "a honeycomb of intricately connected alleyways, this fundamental section of the old city is a micro-medina in itself, comprising a dizzying number of stalls and shops that range from itsy kiosks no bigger than an elf's wardrobe to scruffy store-fronts that morph into glittering Aladdin's Caves once you're inside.

[22][23] Rahba Kedima, a triangular open plaza to the east of Souk Semmarine, contains stalls selling hand-woven baskets, natural perfumes, knitted hats, scarves and T-shirts, Ramadan tea, ginseng, and alligator and iguana skins.

In the 20th century, however, the major social changes brought about by French colonial rule (1912-1956), such as the expansion of the city outside its historic walls and the rural exodus across the country, has resulted in many funduqs being converted to low-cost permanent housing, and the steady degradation of their architectural fabric.

[32]Of the city's gates, one of the best-known is Bab Agnaou, built in the late 12th century by the Almohad caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur as the main public entrance to the new Kasbah.

[36] Bab Aghmat is one of the city's main southern gates, located east of the Jewish and Muslim cemeteries and near the tomb of Ali ibn Yusuf.

The designer, Yves Saint Laurent, bought and restored the property, which features a stele erected in his memory,[49] and the Berber Museum, which is housed in a dark blue building.

[43] The Mamounia Gardens, more than 100 years old, named after Prince Moulay Mamoun, has olive and orange trees, with flower beds and different kinds of flora.

The Royal Palace of Marrakesh, also known as Dar el-Makhzen, is located at the southern end of the city, occupying most of the eastern section of the present-day Kasbah quarter.

[25][58] It took around a quarter of a century to build and was funded by the ransoms paid by captured Portuguese nobility, by sugar cane revenues, and by the profits of the trans-Saharan trade routes which Al-Mansur conquered during his reign.

[53] After the end of the Saadian dynasty in the 17th century the palace fell into neglect and was then systematically looted by the Alaouite sultan Moulay Isma'il for its valuable materials like marble.

[60] With a name meaning "brilliance", it was intended to be the greatest palace of its time and, as in similar developments of the period in other countries, it was designed to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style.

Ba Ahmed paid special attention to the privacy of the palace in its construction and employed architectural features such as multiple doors which prevented unwelcome views of the interior.

This inward focus was expressed with a centrally placed interior garden or courtyard, and the lack of large windows on the exterior walls, which were built of rammed earth or mud brick.

[68][69] The term "riad" or "riyad" (from Arabic: رياض) refers to a common type of interior garden, in particular one that is symmetrically divided into four parts along its central axes and typically has a fountain at its middle.

[6] The earliest known example of a true riad garden (with a symmetrical four-part division) in Morocco was found in the Almoravid palace built by Ali ibn Yusuf in Marrakesh in the early 12th century.

[71] This model of interior design became particularly successful and common in Marrakesh thanks to the combination of warm climate and available space, making it well-suited to the architecture of the wealthy mansions and palaces built throughout the city's history.

The interior of the octagonal arched dome is decorated with very distinguishing carvings bordered by a Kufic freeze inscribed with the name of the creator, Al ben Youssef.

It was built by the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansour in the late 12th century to serve as the main mosque of the Kasbah (citadel) where he and his high officials resided.

[83] The mosque was repaired by the Saadi sultan Moulay Abd Allah al-Ghalib following a devastating explosion at a nearby gunpowder reserve in the second half of the 16th century.

Up to the French arrival in 1912, Jews could not own property outside of the Mellah, so expansion occurred within its quarter, explaining the narrow streets, small shops, and higher placement of houses.

[113] The house itself represents an example of classical Andalusian architecture, with fountains in the central courtyard, traditional seating areas, a hammam and intricate tilework and carvings.

The renovation of the Museum, as well as its scenography, was carried out by the architect Christophe Martin, who also conceived the presentation of the exhibition Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco, seen by over 65,000 visitors.

Maps, explanatory texts (in French, English and Arabic), photographs, archive films and audio-visual documents specifically designed for the museum guide the visitors throughout their journey.

[136] The Ben Youssef Madrasa, located to the north of the Medina, was an Islamic college in Marrakech, named after the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf (reigned 1106–1142), who expanded the city and its influence considerably.

[147] Functioning today as a historical site, the Ben Youssef Madrasa was the largest Islamic college in the Maghreb at its height, and is widely recognized as a pinnacle of Saadian and Moroccan architecture.

The Théâtre Royal, built by Tunisian architect Charles Boccara with columns, puts on theatrical performances of comedy, opera, and dance in French and Arabic.