Jemaa el-Fna Square and the Koutoubia

What it is

Jemaa el-Fna is the great square of the Marrakesh medina and has been the centre of the city for centuries. It is not a monument: it is a public space that changes throughout the day, with vendors, musicians, storytellers and food stalls. That is why UNESCO proclaimed it in 2001 a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage and in 2008 included it on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Next to it rises the minaret of the Koutoubia, the city's great mosque.

What you see through the day

• Morning and midday. The square is almost empty and in the sun. There are orange-juice stalls, water-sellers in their red costume, snake charmers and men with chained monkeys. Those monkeys are a species protected by Moroccan law: do not pay to have your photo taken with them.
• Afternoon. Musicians, dancers, storytellers, magicians and sellers of traditional remedies arrive, forming circles, the halqas, around themselves.
• At dusk. Dozens of numbered food stalls are set up, with long tables and charcoal smoke. It is when there are most people.

From the café terraces around the square you see it from above, especially at sunset.

The Koutoubia

The Koutoubia's minaret is about 77 m tall. The mosque was founded by the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mumin; the present one was built between 1158 and 1195, and the minaret was finished towards the end of that period. At night it is lit up. It is an active mosque and non-Muslims cannot enter: it is seen from outside and from the gardens around it, with a rose garden to the west and south. The September 2023 earthquake opened cracks in the minaret; it reopened after works in March 2024. It is five minutes' walk from the square.

Eating at the stalls

The food stalls are numbered and have menus with prices. Choose one with locals, ask the price of each dish before ordering and do not accept what they put on the table without asking for it. Eating here is an experience, not a quiet place: if you prefer to sit down, Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha, in a nearby alley, serves mechoui lamb at midday.

When to go

At dusk, an hour before sunset: you see the square fill up and the stalls being set up. Come back for a while in the morning to see it empty. In July and August, at midday, nobody can stand it.

Price and rules

The square is free. What costs money are photos: the charmers, the musicians, the women who do henna and the water-sellers ask for money if you take a photo or stop at their circle. Carry coins and decide beforehand how much you will give. If you do not want to pay, do not take close-up photos.

Safety and tips

It is a place with lots of people, especially at night: watch your wallet and phone. You will be offered guiding to your riad or to a shop: say no and keep going. The women who offer to do you a henna tattoo may start without asking; pull your hand away if you don't want it. Next to the square is the Jemaa el-Fna Intangible Heritage Museum, of the National Foundation of Museums, if you want to understand what you are seeing.

Getting there

All the medina's paths end here. From Gueliz, by petit taxi, ask for "Jemaa el-Fna" or "Koutoubia". The square is pedestrian: taxis drop you next to the Koutoubia. From the airport, bus 19 stops nearby.

With children

Children are amazed by the music, the circles and the stalls, but at night there are lots of people: take them by the hand or in a carrier. A pushchair makes slow progress through the crowd. Keep them away from the snakes and monkeys.