The Heart of Marrakech

I've been to Marrakech twice now - once in October and then again with the fam over Thanksgiving. Both times I was able to experience Djemma el Fna, the heart of Marrakech.

Tahir Shah provided this description of Marrakech in his book In Arabian Nights. (Side note: Tahir Shah also wrote The Caliph's House about moving to Morocco and his kids go to my school - both of these books are great reads on Moroccan culture and life. I highly recommend them.)

"The narrow passages of the medina swell with tourists, except in the blazing summer months, when a searing drought blows in. I used to think the tourists were set to destroy the soul of the city. After all, there are towering hotels, guides, and restaurants wherever you look. The tourists have certainly brought wealth and have heralded change, but their effect doesn't penetrate.

Jemaa el Fna by day

Jemaa al Fna is the heart of Marrakech. By day it's a turbulent circus of life - teeming with astrologers, healers, storytellers and acrobats. And when the curtain of dusk shrouds the city from the desert all around, the food stalls flare up, creating a banquet for the senses. A quick glance and you might think it's all been laid on for the sightseers. But the longer you spend there, the more you come to see the truth. The tourists take photographs but they don't connect.

Jemma al Fna by night

With its outlandish customs, Jemaa al Fna is a focal point of folklore, a borehold that descends down through the layers and sub-layers of Morocco's underbelly. A lifetime of study couldn't teach you all it represents. To understand it, you must try not to think, but to allow the square's raw energy to be absorbed directly through the skin."

When I got to this passage in the book, I felt I needed to share it - it's such a great description of the effect of Djemma el Fna.