Djemaa el Fna Review

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Djemâa el Fna

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 5.0/5

Fodor's Review:

The carnivalesque market right at the center of the medina is Marrakesh's heartbeat. This centuries-old, L-shape square was once a meeting point for regional farmers and tradesmen; today it's surrounded by bazaars, mosques, and terraced cafés with perfect balcony views over the action. Gnaoua acrobats turn wild tumbles; cobras stand ram-rod straight and sway to the tones of snake charmers; henna women make their swirling marriage marks; fortune-tellers reveal mottled futures; apothecaries offer bright powder potions and spices; cymbals clash loudly between musicians' hands; bush dentists with Berber molars piled high on tables extract teeth; and, best of all, men tell stories to each other the old way, on a magic carpet around a gas lamp.

All day (and night) long you can get a fresh orange or grapefruit juice from the green gypsy carts that line up round the square, for 2.5 DH a glass, squeezed while you wait. You can also buy a shot of cool water from one of the roving water sellers, whose eye-popping costumes carry leather water pouches and polished-brass drinking bowls. Or snack on sweet dates, apricots, bananas, almonds, sugar-coated peanuts, and walnuts from the dried fruit-and-nut stalls in the northwest corner. Meat and vegetable grills cook into the night, when Marrakshis come out to eat, meet, and be entertained. It might be a fun bazaar today, but once upon a time the Djemâa's purpose was more gruesome; it accommodated public viewings of the severed heads of sinners, criminals, and Christians, hung on stakes around the square. Djemâa actually means "meeting place" and el Fna means "the end" or "death," so as a whole it means something along the lines of "assembly of death" or "meeting place at the end of the world."

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by Scott_Hulse from San Francisco, CA on 2/7/07
This massive square is alive with cobra charmers and monkeys during the day, changing into an amazing outdoor festival at night - the lights, smoke, food, crowds, and activity make it a must see area. I'll never forget having tea in the midst of chaos at this location. Amazing.

Member Rating: 5.0
Ratings details: Experience: 5.0 Ease: 5.0 Value: 5.0 Don't Miss: 5.0
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