North Africa Things To Do

Only Muslims can enter this revered site, but tourists can glance through the bronze doors into one of North Africa’s largest mosques. More than 20,000 worshippers fit inside the Kairaouine, with its 16-aisle prayer hall, 270+ marble columns, and green pyramidal roof.

Just outside the medina gates, this Hispano-Moorish palace houses a fine collection of Moroccan tiling, woodcarving, and plasterwork salvaged from medina buildings. Concerts are sometimes held on the museum’s tranquil grounds.

Take a taxi from the medina’s main gate to the Merenid Tombs. The tombs themselves are little more than ruins and rubble – it’s the vistas of the medina and surrounding hills peppered with olive trees that are the main draw.

Try your hand at cooking Fassi specialties such as B’stilla (pigeon pie laced with cinnamon) or lamb and date tajine with lessons from the professional chef and owner of Dar Roumana, a restored riad in the medina.

Djemaa el-Fna is an absolute must. The heart of the medina, this central square becomes a carnival of snake charmers, acrobats and food stalls come nightfall, when locals and visitors gather for cheap alfresco meals.

A short stroll southwest of the Djemma el-Fna, the Koutoubia mosque is Marrakech’s most recognizable landmark and a classic example of Moorish architecture. The call to prayer echoes from a 12th century minaret that looms 230 feet overhead.

More than 60 Saadians – descendants of the prophet Mohammed – are interred in the ornate surrounds of this beautiful 16th-century burial ground in the Kasbah. The soft light of sunrise or sunset is the best time to admire the intricately carved monuments.

The late-16th-century Palais el-Badi (its name means ‘incomparable’) was once considered one of the world’s most beautiful palaces with 360 rooms decorated in marble, onyx and gold leaf. Today, only the towering walls and interior courtyard remain.

Still used by the royal family, only a portion of this opulent 19th-century palace in the medina can be visited. Pop in to see how the sultan, his four wives and 24 concubines lived (luxuriously, to say the least).

Experience the Moroccan hammam (public bath) ritual at the most indulgent destination in the medina. Following your steam bath, massage and full body exfoliation, kick back with Moroccan mint tea while ensconced in a fluffy robe.