In the eleventh century, out of a glittering oasis at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, the city of Marrakech was born. It was to become later known as the city of 100.000 palm trees. In 1062, the sultan Youssef ben Tachfine chose this well-sheltered site to establish his encampment. To surmount water scarcity, the sultan issued orders to dig wells and plant palm trees that had to be watered through a system of Ghettaras. This ingenious network of underground ducts is, until today, being used to irrigate the gardens of the city. With this sultan of the Almoravid Dynasty at the helm, Marrakech had quickly become one of the main cultural and artistic centers of the Islamic world, as well as an economic junction where Arabs, Berbers, mountain dwellers and nomads crossing Africa could meet… The Almoravids dedicated a large portion of their wealth to decorate and enlarge the city, building palaces, bath houses and gardens. After his death in 1106, Youssef ben Tachfin left behind a city that looked like a splendid architectural jewel. As the capital of a powerful empire stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Senegal, the city reached its heyday under the reign of Ali, son of Youssef. Sheltered behind the city’s ramparts, the artisans who came from Spain built the first edifices of Andalusian style.
With the advent of the dynasty of the Almohads in 1147, a number of those edifices have been destroyed and rebuilt again by the artisans of Andalusia. The Almoravids’ palace was flattened and a mosque, the Koutoubia-- with its remarkable minaret still towering over the city today -- was raised in its stead. At the end of the Almohad’s rule, the city entered a period of strife and decline when the Merinids decided to establish their capital in Fez. In the16th century, the Saâdians, who came from the Souss region and declared a holy war, took over Fez and went on to extend their rule over the entire territory of Morocco. Marrakech became the country’s capital again. The ochre city regained its prosperity and acquired sumptuous mosques, fountains and medersas. The most celebrated sultan of the dynasty, Ahmed el Mansour, nicknamed “The Golden” for his immense wealth, later built El Badia palace and the Saâdian Tombs. Then, one more time, Marrakech went through a period of decline, as the Alaouite dynasty moved the country’s capital t

At the foot of the High Atlas, the highest mountainous barrier in North Africa, with the doors of the desert to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Marrakech benefits from a strategic geographical position and from a site of a special beauty.
Stretching over 700 kilometers, the High Atlas chain features a series of peaks of which a dozen attain 4,000 meters. Lasting all winter long, snow can be found on hilltops as low as 600 meters of altitude.
Seen from Marrakech, the imposing mountains and their snow-capped summits display a surreal, spellbinding decor. A few kilometers away, on the sides of the first foothills, the greatness and strangeness of the magical landscapes of the Atlas become a compelling sight-- a sight regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.
To the south, arise the stretches of steppes’ terrain that forewarn of the burning winds and the rigor of the Sahara. Beyond the 130,000 hectares of greenery and the 180,000 palm trees of its Palmeraie, Marrakech is an oasis of great and rich plant variety. Throughout the seasons, orange, fig, permanganate and olive trees spew out their fragrances and display their marvelous colors and luscious fruits. The precious gardens of the city conceal numerous native plants or other species that have been imported in the course of the centuries: Giant bamboos, yuccas, papyrus, palm trees, banana trees, cypress, philodendrons, rosebushes, bougainvilleas, pines and various kinds of cactus plants.

The terrain relief, the hydrographic conditions, the proximity to the Atlantic ocean and the Sahara desert coalesce to bring about the special climate of Marrakech. The city benefits from an annual average of sunshine exceeding 8 hours a day and an annual average temperature above 17° Celsius.
The air, almost invariably dry and clear, gives the blue color of the sky that glow which is so specific to the region. The warm light of the place is exceptional, most notably at the sunset when it immerses the city into an extraordinary bath of crimson color. In the spring, the Moroccan countryside is resplendent; bushes and shrubs, valleys, steppes and lush forests become covered with a myriad of flowers. The gentle, lucent air and the sight of the still-snowy peaks of the Atlas bewitch the onlooker. The summer is the season of the chergui—a scorching wind coming from the desert. It’s the ideal season for those who love high temperatures; they will savor with delight the cool shades of the Riyad residences, the fountains, and the gardens of the city.
The autumn is a summer that goes into extra time. The occasional rain showers come to refresh the air and the temperature becomes gentler. The winter is the season of Marrakech and the big south! The pleasant air is dry, cold at night, while the uninhibited sun of daytime warms you up instantly. Being midway between the beaches of Essaouira and the ski slopes of Oukaïmeden, the city offers the fascinations of summer and winter all at once.

As a historical and cultural crossroad, Marrakech reveals the kind of diversity in the Berber, Oriental, and Spanish-Moorish artistic expression that impregnates the architecture and the decoration of the entire city. As an imperial, centuries-old city, Marrakech possesses both the rigor and roughness of Berber art and the richness of the Moorish-Spanish art which bears the signs of Mediterranean, Hellenic, and West Asian influence.  Yet, the most ancient artistic expressions known in Morocco go as far back as the end of the Neolithic era (about 3,000 years BC). Some of the nicest specimens of rock engravings can be found, not far from Marrakech, in the High Atlas.

Since the 16th century, Morocco has been known for its manufacture of exotic and refined objects which the merchant ships hauled to Europe. Always more valued in the living rooms of sumptuous residences, maroquinerie has, over time, become synonymous with leather quality articles. The constantly dynamic tradition of leather works is perpetuated in the souks of Marrakech and is accompanied by a rich production of objects of every kind: rugs, woven articles, potteries, iron artworks, copper and brass works, zelliges, jewelry, woodcrafts… Rustic Berber items and objects of city life are on display in the souks of the medina as well as in the stylish stores of Guéliz. The Moroccan style is rooted in the Muslim arts that require abstraction and geometry, and before that, in Berber art and its ancestral motives.
The talent and imagination of the artisans of Marrakech are constantly acknowledged and an important portion of production is intended for exportation. Today, artifacts occupy a prominent place everywhere. Organized in corporations, the artisans show their know-how and remarkable skill.

Moroccan cuisine is one of the most delectable in the world. It reflects in a marvelous manner the diversity of the cultural heritage of the country. More scented than seasoned, it accommodates with refinement a variety of ingredients, combining the sun-filled fruits and vegetables with rare and subtle condiments. It is the nomads of Arabia who have introduced to the world dates, milk, kernels, and bread; and it is those same nomads who were first to come up with dry pasta, a technique they used to preserve flour in the course of their trips. The Berber influence is naturally present through such traditional dishes as couscous, tajine or harira. The frequently used olives, olive oil, hazelnuts and almonds, fruits, and herbs come from the Moors and their Andalusian culinary influence. The Arabs add their touch of colorful spices that come from the Islands and their sugared tastes. Rich and sweet-scented, the Marrakech cuisine is legendary: the tajines of meat and vegetables prepared in their spices and the famous tanjia marrakchia compete with the classical couscous and pigeon pastillas. In whichever setting, be it as simple and modest as in the food stalls of Jemaa Elfna, or as sumptuous as in the biggest restaurants, the cuisine in Marrakech is an unforgettable pleasure that only the unique taste of tea with mint can come to crown.

If the traditional Moroccan folklore manifests itself especially during holiday celebrations and the moussems that are specific to each region, show-city Marrakech always offers an opportunity to submerge oneself into an ambience of local rhythms and tunes. All year long, the city offers ballets of ahouach, oriental dance, horse shows, and demonstrations of acrobats and fire spitters.

It is hard to talk about culture in Marrakech without mentioning the enthrallment the city educes from world painters, writers, and artists. After the numerous and famous European painters, a gifted generation of Moroccan plastic artists has emerged, particularly in pictorial creation: Painters, sculptors, designers, fashion designers …
Marrakech is a city teeming with talent, a city where traditional arts merge with western techniques. With its captivating authenticity and its modernity, the very trendy "Style Marrakech" often makes it to the cover of fashion and decoration magazines. True to its tradition of openness and cultural melting, Marrakech is also the place of numerous exhibitions, premieres, parades, and festivals.
The Royal Theatre features, among other events, the classical concerts of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Morocco.
The ten-day-long International Film Festival of Marrakech "FIFM" is an event that turns Marrakech into a focal point for numerous world-class stars and media organizations.

 

Arabic is the official language of Morocco. The Berber language which is broadly preserved is especially spoken in the Rif region and the Atlas Mountains. Most Berbers also speak Arabic. Besides French that is broadly used in cities and in education and business, Spanish is widely spoken in the regions of the North. But in Marrakech, you will often hear people speak a few words of English, German or Italian.

Marrakech offers a hotel capacity of more than 28,000 beds with a high variety of choices, but with a distinguishing level of quality and luxury. 4,342 beds are offered in 5 star luxury hotels; 7,865 beds in 5 star hotels; and 7,278 beds in 4 star hotels. That is more than 70 % of the entire accommodation capacity of the city. New guests' houses are continuously added to the existing ones; there are more than 813 riyads and 5,592 guest houses / riyads that allow you to live the one thousand and one nights in the privacy of the medina or right in the center of the palm grove. After the success of the riyads and the villas, the city has developed the concept of integrated tourist residences to accommodate customers with a different purchasing power.