An overview of Marrakech – Part 3

Places not to miss – continued,

The Night Market

While the day in Jemaa El Fna is something to behold what happens each evening at dusk is well worth watching. As the sun disappears over the horizon dozens of open-air kitchens start to set up on the east side of the square. As the serving areas are being built the tables and benches are put out to create one vast open-air style bistro. Above all this hustle you see a great cloud of smoke from the charcoal grills. This is not just a tourist attraction as vast numbers of locals are here to eat a large range of Moroccan cuisine. Most stalls have their own speciality, you might find snails in a spicy broth or chunks of lamb stuffed into sandwiche, if you can eat it you will probably find it here.

Some of the most popular dishes are the types of brochette, mainly grilled lamb and chicken, along with bowls of soup, spicy sausages, grilled fish and bowls of boiled chickpeas. The raw ingredients arrive fresh each evening and the food is cooked in front of you. Plates and utensils are often washed in water that isn’t changed for the entire night. The best advice would be to get your food served on paper and eat with your fingers, at least then you will be able to enjoy the next day. How do you order? Well, you just walk around to see what’s being cooked. When you see something you like you just take a seat. You don’t need to speak Arabic all you do is just point to what you want. The prices are usually on a sign by the stall and everything is a very reasonable cost.

There are plenty of entertainers on hand to keep amused. You will find groups of onlookers surrounding a gaggle of tricksters, performers and fortune tellers. This is where the Moroccan belief in everyday magic is on full display. You will also see storytellers who are wonderful orators. They seem to be able to enthral their audience with tales of Islamic heroes and villains. Just like any good soap the stories always end on a cliffhanger and ending is revealed only on the following night.

There are musicians in the square who are often groups of Gnawa. They specialize in hypnotic, thrumming rhythms to captivate crowds of listeners who stand around swaying in far into the night. The Gnawa came to Morocco as slaves from sub-Saharan Africa. Over the centuries they have kept alive their culture through oral traditions and, particularly, music. It is played on a simple string instruments known as a gimbri.

Some of the inhabitants of Jemaa El Fna are undoubtedly under the influence of Majoun. This is a mild hallucinogenic drug that is basically locally grown marijuana. It is eaten in as jam or cake and is best avoided.

Henna painters are at their most busy as the evening gets later. The ladies have piping bags filled with henna paste which they use to decorate the hands and feet with intricate of designs. You can choose the design from a book of photographs; just be warned that they last about two weeks.

If you just want to watch all of the above hhappenings then one of the best places is from the rooftop terrace of Café Glacier. You can find it at the southern edge of the square and if you get there just before the sun sets you get one of the best views of the area.

Continued in part 4