Souks are the traditional marketplaces and are often divided into sections for the various trades. You'll see herbalists, spice sellers, metal workers, tanners, and food markets congregated on trade-specific streets. Souks are a maze of alleys and narrow streets, and it's easy to get lost.Written by Savi, 87 Comments
Did the thought provoking sunset in Egypt get too pensive for your liking? Well then, you have come to the right place.
Welcome to the souks of Marrakech. Here the air is rife with cries of gypsies, snake-charmers, wandering minstrels, magicians, and folk-singers. There are tanneries on pavements, street artists in every corner, and vegetable vendors popping out of alleys. If you’re not paying attention, you could end up with a monkey on your shoulder or snake wrapped around your arm.
Oh, what do we tell you about Marrakech’s souks – Overwhelming? Yes! But they are the perfect amalgam of colour, energy, and vibrance. There is nothing that isn’t sold here- perfumes, spices, bags, clothes, baskets, shawls, carpets, shoes, even safety pins.
However if the thought of plunging headlong into this world of colour and chaos intimidates you, fear not. Bruised Passports’ genies are at hand 🙂 Our ultimate guide to Moroccan souks is here to ensure you have fun exploring the labyrinthine souks of Marrakech. It takes just 5 easy steps:
Moroccan vendors can be annoyingly persuasive. You will be pestered by shopkeepers on entering the souk, but it is nothing a firm no can’t tackle. Devise the perfect no – we suggest a baritone treading the fine line between firm and polite.
If you’re anything like Savi, then find someone else to say your Nos – giggles and smiles just won’t do, unless you want to end up squashed between a duo sporting the world’s most elaborate headgear.
You know that old English dictum ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’? We’re pretty sure someone must’ve conjured it within the confines of a Moroccan souk, because it sure is a challenge to ‘Keep Calm’ here.
The hard part is over- the chaos has sunk in and you are feeling confident strutting through Marrakech’s bamboo-covered souks. It’s time to have some fun- savour the smell of spices drifting up your nostrils, follow colour, go where your eye takes you, turn into little alleys, and duck into the tiniest of shops.
Make sure you take your camera. If you’re a photographer, this is the place for you. Walk from the olive souk, jam-packed with different kinds of olives, to the potters’ souk, crammed full of brightly-coloured pots, pans, and tagines. There is a surprise at every corner – brightly-coloured glassware, sheesha pipes, fragrant spices, embellished kaftans, handcrafted bags – you name it, they have it.
It is easy to spend hours ambling in Marrakech’s serpentine souks- you are bound to get lost, but that is the fun of it. Irrespective of how far you go, it is always easy to make your way back to the Djemaa-El-Fnaa – just ask locals for help or start walking towards the dome of the The Koutoubia Mosque.
When you get to the Djemaa- El-Fnaa (The Central Square), don’t walk right into the souks. Instead, spend the morning familiarising yourself with the unique rhythm of life here – we suggest having Moroccan mint-tea at a street-side cafe facing the Djema El Fnaa as you watch people go about their lives. From your vantage point you will see henna artists, palm readers, and ventriloquists. Try spotting ‘witch’ dentists pulling out molars in the middle of the square.
Surely at this point you are thinking you’ve seen EVERYTHING – nothing can faze you, you are unflappable. This is a good time to enter the hallowed confines of Marrakech’s souks. Take a deep breath and go…
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