THE MARRAKESH SOUKS - Marrakech Morocco Holidays

Marrakech Morocco Holidays: THE MARRAKESH SOUKS - visit Marrakes

Marrakech Morocco Holidays: The souks.

Under a reed screens that filter the light, kilometers of streets and alleys to endlessly that intersect, intertwine and form a vast maze from Ben Youssef Mosque to the outskirts of the Jemaa El Fna. We are immersed in the marrakchis souks which are among the most authentic and the most famous of all the Sherifian kingdom.

Its streets, punctuated by doorways, blind alleys and dead ends, spread a thousand colors and as many flavors and odors from escaping. Countless shops and boutiques are full of verve merchants and hard work of artisans. Each day brings its stream of visitors. Some marvel of a heritage relayed already forgotten in the West, others seek eye the gem at the best price. In this ocean of crafts, it is difficult to identify themselves. We let loose, guided by our senses, with a scent of burnt amber, by the reflection of hammered copper or wool woven by the clatter of tools, a tanned leather scent, or density crowd. Later, dazzled, we find ourselves in the same place where people fled the arrests of an enterprising merchant ... because the souk remains the primary trading area.

Originally, the lands north of the Jemaa El Fna were point gathers caravan bound for the south and Timbuktu. They come equip them to face the desert. It is around the market (souk) that urban rally took shape and has, over time, developed. The souk was, again, a neutral ground for the different tribes that came there to meet, settle disputes and loans or arrange weddings. The development of Marrakech helping it became gradually a real social institution in itself. We learned and applied the rules of life in society, social conventions.

Marrakech Morocco Holidays:THE MARRAKESH SOUKS - visit Marrakes

The artisan, soul of the high rank of the souk creative artist, was one of the pillars of the community and governed by a hierarchy, codes, and captions. Today, before immersing himself in a narrow street in this great neighborhood the visitor can mark a pose and raise his eyes to the upper floor. On the pediment of an ancient carriage gate can read about it the activity that it is practiced for centuries, one who was over there a few decades. Now, this traditional organization tends gradually to disappear, overwhelmed by the new rules, foreign to a centuries-mode