Marrakech's Old Town (Studiosus Travel Highlights of Morocco)

In the morning, our day in Marrakech began with a visit to the Bahia Palace.

It was built around 1900 as the residence of the Grand Vizier Bou Ahmed.

He ruled in place of the young Sultan Abd El Aziz.

Parts of the palace were destroyed in the major earthquake in Morocco in 2023 and are still being restored.

Several beautifully designed rooms and courtyards are accessible.

We then continued to the Saadian Tombs, which were established at the end of the 16th century.

The later ruler Moulay Ismail destroyed the palace of the Saadian dynasty to erase the memory of previous rulers. However, he did not dare to destroy the graves and instead sealed them with a wall.

The tombs were rediscovered in 1917. Today, the mausoleums are open to the paying public.

We made another stop at a shop for natural cosmetics and remedies, where we received a very entertaining explanation of the different products along with a glass of tea.

Then we headed into the market streets of the old town, where the merchants offer all sorts of goods for the many tourists.

We initially walked through the souks with our guide until we reached the Jema El Fna square.

In the afternoon we had free time and first had a meal at a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Koutoubia Mosque's minaret. It was so windy that we ultimately decided to move indoors.

We then strolled through the market streets on our own, making a few small purchases, during which we of course bargained diligently.

We visited the Medersa Ben Youssef, which was once the largest Quran school in the Maghreb.

It reminded us of the medersa we had seen in Fès but was even larger and more richly decorated.

Surrounding the courtyard were numerous study rooms for the students that could also be visited.

To conclude the day, we strolled with our travel group over the Jema El Fna, which was getting busier.

In the meantime, the numerous food stalls had set up their stands and offered their dishes.

We watched the sunset from the rooftop terrace of the Café de France at the square.

Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel.