Marrakech’s Main Square, Jemma el- Fna is one of the busiest main squares in the world and waits for no man to catch up with its super sonic speed.
Mopeds whizz past you, snake charmers do their best to hypnotise you, food stall owners tempt you, leather stall owners have you smelling like the corpse of a cow, everything about this place will send your head in the clouds – for better or for worse. Jemma el-Fna is an explosion of your senses; your sight, hearing, taste and smell will be spun into overdrive after just one encounter with perhaps what is the world’s most famous square.
Although the photographs I took detail just how busy and food orientated the Square is, it is hopeless to replicate the noise, smell and taste of this place without experiencing it for yourself. The smell of Jasmine, the dusty red walls and beautiful mosiacs, the sound of street performers and traditional tradesmen calling for your attention – it is simply impossible to mistake being in Jemmaa El Fna for anywhere else in the world. This distinct culture ensured its inscription into UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1985.
Marrakech really is a ‘go with the flow’ kind of place but I’ve got just one piece of advice – like any Muslim country you should dress accordingly. I thought I'd packed appropriate clothing, but I found that even though my dresses were long in length, they still weren’t long enough! As a result, I wore the same jeans and T-shirt I wore for the airport pretty much throughout the whole of my time in Marrakech! So ladies… learn from my mistake and wear something loose and modest!
Copyright © 2014 by The Culture Map. This article was written by Shing Yoong and originally published at The Culture Map
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