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Medina, Marrakesh
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Medina, Marrakesh

Medina tips and photos posted by real travelers and Marrakesh locals.
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• 26 Reviews

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Medina: Donkeys in everyday life in the medina
  • Tip Rating:
  • angiebabe
  • Updated By angiebabe on June 18, 2007
  • Marrakesh Page by angiebabe
  • those lovely big  brown eyes! - Marrakesh
    those lovely big brown eyes!
    by angiebabe, 4 more photos
    As you will see when you are travelling around Morocco and including the streets of Marrakech, as modern and europeanised it looks, especially when you compare with say another North Africa country as Tunisia where i hardly saw any donkeys!, donkeys and mules are used in a big way in the everyday lives of the locals.

    In and around the medina you will see many donkeys in use - ie the old town centre of Marrakech - especially with the old narrow and winding streets that the small but hardy and strong donkeys seemed ideally matched for.

    I really have a thing for donkeys! - cute and photogenic - certainly adds to the character of our visits to the culture here and to the look we get to see of local life in the medina.

    For the local trying to eke out a living the donkey still has the advantage too of being much easier to look after and with less running costs than the modern vehicular replacements!

    As has been a common complaint in the past it still can be a problem of these animals, as with the horses pulling the caleches, not being looked after as appreciatedly as they deserve. Though a major appeal or advantage of the donkey is that they are strong and have great endurance and are able to carry loads much heavier than their own body weight it can be distressing to see situations of donkeys being seen with loads that are obviously above what they should be enduring ie trailers or carts with huge wheel bases on them! along with the load in the trailer and then maybe two passengers!

    There is the organisation Spana (www.spana.org.ma or in the UK www.spana.org) founded in 1959 by a British woman and her daughter and now Moroccan run, with not only the advantage of providing care or haven, such as animal hospitals including mobile hospitals in the souks, for abused animals but also to educate donkey, mule and horse owners of acceptable care of their animals and work resources.

    Apparently if you witness any problems you can contact the police or the Centre Hospitalier pour Animaux in Marrakech.

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  • Phone: 024 303110
  • Website: www.spana.org.ma
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    Medina: Rahba Kedima Square
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  • diageva
  • By diageva on January 10, 2004
  • Marrakesh Page by diageva
  • Rahba Kedima - Marrakesh
    Rahba Kedima
    by diageva
    As you walk throught the souk you will arrive to a beautiful square. Beautiful not because its arquitecture but ... for all what you will find there ... This square was the old slaves market, and nowadays is a place where you will see men and covered women sitting at the center selling their things ... wool hats, birds, handmade things ... and sourounded by little shops with medicines, magic things ... everything you need to get of an illness....:))

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  • Directions: 150 m from the entrance to the souks
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    Medina: The real thing.
  • Tip Rating:
  • belgianchocolate
  • By belgianchocolate on April 11, 2005
  • Marrakesh Page by belgianchocolate
  • Medina - Marrakesh
    by belgianchocolate

    I wanted to see the real thing. The famous souks.
    I had a detailed book with different maps...
    but they all get useless in Marrakesh.
    They work perfect in the new parth , were streets
    have names...but here in the ravel of little streets.


    We were too exited anyway. We just walked by our
    impulses. Oh , look at that , and then turned
    left and right...and then here to there.
    Just get lost , don't be afraid ,
    take a taxi afterwards. ;-)

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    Medina: Kasbah Mosque
  • Tip Rating:
  • sachara
  • Updated By sachara on August 15, 2004
  • Marrakesh Page by sachara
  • Kasbah Mosque - Marrakesh
    Kasbah Mosque
    by sachara
    After you entered the walls of the kasbah through the Bab Agnaou or Bab Ksiba, you will see the beautifull Kasbah Mosque.
    I liked the terra painted walls of the mosque and especially the green-blue tiled minaret.
    This mosque is the second Almohad monument in Marrakech. After rebuilding and restoration, there is hardly anything left of the original construction.
    Nexdoor to this mosque are the Saadian Tombs.

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  • Directions: Downtown Marrakesh
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    Medina: Mosquée et Fontaine Mouassine
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  • MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on December 11, 2006
  • Marrakesh Page by MM212
  • Interior of Mosquée Mouassine - Marrakesh
    Interior of Mosquée Mouassine
    by MM212, 2 more photos
    The Mouassine Mosque and Fountain are part of the Moussaine complex, built in the 16th century under the orders of the Saadian sultan. Previously, the area was a Jewish neighbourhood, but the inhabitants were moved to the newly constructed Mellah district near the Kasbah. The Mouassine complex is a religious and cultural centre consisting of a mosque, a hammam, a medersa, a library and a fountain. This public fountain is the largest of several in Marrakech and consists of four drinking booths, three for animals, and one for people. As in most Marrakchi fountains, people drink from the most ornate fountain (see photos - I was able to sneak into the mosque and take pictures when no one was inside!).

  • Address: Rue Mouassine - Medina
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    Medina: Bab Ksiba and Bab Agnaou
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  • sachara
  • Updated By sachara on August 15, 2004
  • Marrakesh Page by sachara
  • Bab Skiba - Marrakesh
    Bab Skiba
    by sachara
    From the south-western side you can enter the medina and kasbah through the Bab Agnaou and the Bab Ksiba.
    From these gates you reach the part of the medina, where the Royal Palace, the Kasbah mosque, the Saadian Tombs and the Palais el- Badi are.
    It's nice to experience the contrast between the busy traffic at the outside of the walls and the peacefullness at the inside. It looks like passing these gates, you enter another world.

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  • Directions: Rue Sidi Mimoun, downtown Marrakesh.
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    Medina: Wall near the Kasbah Mosque
  • Tip Rating:
  • sachara
  • Updated By sachara on August 15, 2004
  • Marrakesh Page by sachara
  • near the Bab Skiba - Marrakesh
    near the Bab Skiba
    by sachara
    Near the Kasbah Mosque in the south west part of the medina you will see beautifull decorations of the walls and the buildings.
    So it's worth to look up, when you walk around.
    If you do so, you can also spot the stork on the roof top. It's amazing to see this stork in the middle of the town near the Royal palace....

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  • Directions: Downtown Marrakesh
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    Medina: Sidi Bel Abbes zaouïa
  • Tip Rating:
  • call_me_rhia
  • By call_me_rhia on January 12, 2008
  • Marrakesh Page by call_me_rhia
  • Sidi Bel Abbes Mosque - Marrakesh
    Sidi Bel Abbes Mosque
    by call_me_rhia,
    3 more photos
    Zaouïa means religious building, and this one dedicated to Sidi Bel Abbes, one of the seven patron saints of Marrakech, is a truly beautiful one. It is not possible to visit it inside, but it's possible to go as far as the courtyard to admire its architecture.

    Getting there is just as scenic as being there, as you have to cross a very interesting covered passage: once you get there you'll be in front of a mosque and a medersa. There is also the resting place of Sidi bel Abbes.

    You'll be surprised by the number of beggars in this religious building - most of them are blind and are reciting verses of the Qu'ran. It's an old tradition for blind people to pray at this place and beg for money. Sidi Bel Abbes in fact used to be a performer of miracles; in particular he was known to be able to give sight to the blind.

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  • Address: Bab Taghzout
  • Directions: Medina, about 100 metres north of Bab Taghzout
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    Medina: Mosquée Yacoub el-Mansour
  • Tip Rating:
  • MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on December 9, 2006
  • Marrakesh Page by MM212
  • The minaret against the Atlas Mtns - Marrakesh
    The minaret against the Atlas
    Mtns
    by MM212, 4 more photos
    Although originally built in the 12th century by Almohads, the mosque of Yacoub el-Mansour was mostly reconstructed in the 16th century after suffering some severe damage. It is situated within the walls of the Kasbah, near Bab Agnaou, and is thought to be the only remaining structure in the Kasbah from Almohad period. The mosque's minaret is considered one of the most beautiful in Marrakech, along with la Koutoubia. This mosque is also known as la Mosquée aux Pommes d'Or (for the golden balls stacked above the minaret), as well as Mosquée de la Kasbah.

  • Address: Place Moulay Yazid at rue de la Kasbah
  • Directions: Near Bab Agnaou in the Kasbah area
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    Medina: Mosquée & Fontaine Bab Doukkala
  • Tip Rating:
  • MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on December 11, 2006
  • Marrakesh Page by MM212
  • Bab Doukkala Mosque & Fountain - Marrakesh
    Bab Doukkala Mosque & Fountain
    by MM212, 1 more photos
    Following the success of the Mouassine complex in socio-economic terms, the Bab Doukkala complex was built near Bab Doukkala. It dates back from the late 16th century and was modelled after the Mouassine Mosque and Fountain. The fountain is also known as "Lalla Aouda", after a venerable lady. Today, the fountain has been turned into an art gallery (l'Atelier de Marrakech) exhibiting paintings by local artists.

  • Address: Rue Doukkala - near Bab Doukkala
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