Howdy all. Last week I posted about getting to Marrakesh and a little about the main square Jmaa El-Fna. This time around I am doing a review of ALL the tourist sights Graham and I saw and visited whilst we were there. Next time I will give a review of the day trip to Ouzoud Waterfalls. So strap yourselves in because here we go!

Bahia Palace

Pretty much the first thing we visited in Marrakesh was one of the top tourists sites in the entire city, the beautiful Bahia Palace (‘Bahia’ means magnificent which is not an inaccurate name for the place).

The ticket cost 70 Dirham, which is around $7USD so it’s a pretty decent price to explore this wonderful palace. Construction began in 1859 and wasn’t completed until 1900. It’s another palace that really uses the colour blue to its full potential. You get to walk through a fair portion of the palace, through rooms and corridors, and finally you come out to the Grand Courtyard, which indeed is grand. And the perfect place to shoot a TikTok video I guess, there were a couple of different videos being shot. As opposed to my YouTube video too lol…

Go through a doorway in the courtyard wall and into a beautiful garden that feels very Moroccan/Middle Eastern in style. It’s all pretty gorgeous and there are so many photo opportunities – with or without people, although it can take a while to get the chance to photograph something without others in the photo – it’s pretty popular!

Saadien Tombs

These tombs are really cool to visit and date back to the second half of the 16^th century. They were a short distance from the Casbah Mosque. In this trip to Morocco I found that mosques in general at least are not accepting non-Muslim visitors. Generally all the other Islamic countries I visited in 2023 allowed visitors into most mosques, but some countries like Morocco visitors are not allowed.

The Saadien tombs are the final resting places for Moroccan royalty from the reign of Ahmad Al-Mansur (from late 16^th century) going forwards for a number of years. There’s a lovely garden and some graves are out in the open, you can walk around this smallish area and watch a video in an undercover area at the back. People line up to see the main tombs, in a pillared room and lit for photographs one presumes. The line took a good 15-20 minutes and then you get 30 seconds and you have to let the next people see. Cost was 60 Dirhams or $6USD.

Ibn Yusuf/Ben Yusuf Madrassa

Found by winding your way through the colourful and lively souks of Marrakesh, which in themselves are an attraction and a great way to lose yourself for hours, I thought this Madrassa – Islamic Holy School for want of a better definition, was a real highlight of Marrakesh.

It sits next to the mosque of the same name. 50 Dirham ($5USD) in cost, it’s definitely deserves a visit and again, you will find it’s pretty popular. The entrance is almost tunnel like and there are stairs to one side and the main courtyard to the right. If you go up the stairs you find yourself looking down at the beautiful courtyard. Exploring the little rooms was fun and you could get some great framed photos and different light from different directions. It’s honestly a real highlight of the city!

Tannery Visit

Marrakesh is famous for its tanneries, and if you visit you should try and see one. We had quite a time winding our way through souks trying to find where the tanneries were, and kept asking people we passed and people would point in a certain direction and we would follow their directions.

Eventually we hit an uneven road and on each side of if were tanneries, one after one. A kid guided us to it, and we had a short tour by presumably the owner, manager or someone in charge in some way. He explained the process and showed us the vats and lead us to the rooftop to get some photos. We tipped him something pretty insignificant but he was happy with that. It was pretty cool but it was Friday and so no-one was actually working the vats as it were which would be even cooler.

Koutoubia Mosque

This very beautiful mosque is not far from Jmaa El-Fnaa and you can see the tower from a little way away. This is a typical Moroccan-style mosque and it dates back to the twelfth century (which is surprising because it looks to be in excellent condition).

Although it’s not possible to go inside as a non-Muslim, you can wander the beautiful surrounding gardens, and it is the largest mosque in all of Marrakesh.

Slat Al Azama Synagogue

It might surprise you to learn that there is a small Jewish community living in Marrakesh, and they congregate at the Slat Al Azama Synagogue. Well actually there are a few synagogues in Marrakesh, but this is the one the guide book suggests to visit. The foundations of the synagogue were laid in 1492 when Sephardic Jews were expelled from Spain. It’s not so big but it is beautiful, has a little courtyard attached and a little museum too. The entrance fee was 10 Dirham.

Also in Marrakesh…

The Badi Palace which we nearly entered a couple of times as we passed it. It also dates back to the 16^th century like the Saadien Tombs. These are basically ruins and it feels like a little citadel from the outside – it was close to where we stayed and the walls are a main feature of that historic part of Marrakesh.

The Jardin Majorelle is the most famous garden in Marrakesh, and costs 50 Dirham to enter. From 1923 through the next forty years it was created by French architect Paul Sinoir. It was purchased in the 1980s by Yves Saint-Lauren and Pierre Berge and today you can visit and check out the Berber Museum and there is also a museum to Yves Saint-Lauren there too. Although we didn’t get around to visiting the gardens, they are a highly rated Marrakesh attraction and I believe well worth visiting.

Marrakesh is a brilliant city to explore, and you really will want to spend a lot of time just exploring the souks, the passageways and everything that it has to offer. If you visit, hopefully you will find it as pleasant as I did. I was lucky I think to experience much in the way of hassle or hustle, and that is definitely not everyone’s experience of Marrakesh.

Thanks for popping in today and checking out my little blog here! Take care wherever you are in the world – May the Journey Never End