For me and within my point of view, Marrakech main square Jemaa el-Fnaa is one of the most interesting place in Marrakech.
Although many people associate Jemaa el-Fnaa to individuals trying to rip of tourist, I see things with a wider vision.
Jemaa el-Fnaa (also written Jamaa el Fna) has been for centuries a place for musicians, story tellers, snake charmers, acrobats, thieves, dancing men, etc.
This has never changed until nowadays and it is now protected by UNESCO being put on World Heritage Site as something unique that is worth preserving.
The argument many people use that they do this for tourist, well, 100 years ago, they also danced and played music for travelers coming into town.
No difference. Just enjoy this crazy and exotic place on Earth.
On this square you can find young boys doing acrobatics, dozens of snake charmers (yes they will come to you and put their snake around your neck for photo), Gnawa dancers / musicians, story tellers, street vendors, orange juice charriots, pickpockets, prostitutes (male and female), restaurant stands, men dancing with women clothes, snail food vendors, shops, monkeys, donkeys, motorcycles, haxixe drug dealers, horse charriots and thousands of people.
Djemaa al Fna, The Marrakech Show by Benjamin Orbach
Djemaa al Fna, Africa’s most fantastic square, filled with snake charmers, fortune tellers, henna artists, dancers, drummers, diaper-clad monkeys, medicine men, and thousands of locals dressed in colorful jedi-like robes.
Marrakech Travel Documentary
The origin of the square’s name it is unclear but Jemaa means “congregational mosque” in Arabic, probably referring to a destroyed Almoravid mosque.
“Fanâʼ” or “finâ'” can mean “death” or “a courtyard, space in front of a building.” Thus, one meaning could be “The mosque or assembly of death,” or “The Mosque at the End of the World”.
This place is a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
