The Marrakesh Night Markets
The most incredible depiction of Marrakech, and the biggest draw, is the night markets of Djaama El-Fna Square.
They’re the stuff of incredible photos, films, novels and legends, but there’s also another word for them – overwhelming.
From snake charmers, to monkey handlers, to wandering tortoises, to teeth pullers and henna tattooists, the Djaama El-Fna is one crazy square 16 hours a day.
Come about 7pm the resourceful night stall holders will transform the square into an open air restaurant in less than five minutes. Tents are up, tables are out, the food’s cooking and the customers are in.
‘the best’, ‘the cheapest’, ‘the favourite’ Market Stall
Step within an earshot radius of the market stall owners and they’ll be calling you in to their numbered tent. Their stall is ‘the best’, ‘the cheapest’, ‘the favourite’.
‘Hey lady, 117 you’re in heaven!’
He’d made us laugh and we had no reason not to so off we trundled to indulge in the stack of sheep’s heads, prawns, kebab meats, breads and soups that formed the front of his stall.
We sat at picnic benches shoulder to shoulder to the other patriots facing the food mound. We tried to decipher the laminated menu and looked to our new table friends’ plates for inspiration.
Everything is around €2-€4 so we just choose the top ten items and try to get the waiter’s attention. The ‘restaurant’ is manic. Seated guests frantically call the waiters, while they’re trying to drum up new trade from passers-by and the chef and his teenage sous chefs in the makeshift kitchen can’t cook fast enough.
In Marrakesh Alcohol Is Hard To Come By
We get our order in and get some bread as a reward. In less than three minutes our table is filled with little plates – peppers, olives, meats, spices, mini tagines and skewered kebabs. We’ve had a long day exploring the souks so we get stuck right in. Just as I bring the sauce dipped bread to my mouth some new table friends squash in to the left of us. I can feel their eyes bore into me.
“All you need is a cold beer to knock that back with,” the guy says.
I offer half a laugh and a nod as I devour the kebab meat in front of me, and swig the coke. A beer would be amazing right now, but of course in Muslim Marrakesh alcohol is hard to come by.
The food is incredible. It’s not long before we’ve as good as licked the plates clean and are quickly handed the bill – a feast for around 200dh – and ushered out of the tent.
We walk around the rest of the markets, but they’re mostly similar food market stalls repeated again.
‘Hey lady, you need fattening up, eat here!’
A Birds-Eye-View Over The Markets
I definitely don’t, but he makes me laugh anyway. We stop to look at the snails deemed a delicacy here, not for us today though. The mixture of meats is feeling greasy in my belly and it doesn’t take long for the calling, pushing and shoving of the stallholders to get tiring.
Stall at Night Markets in Marrakesh
Time to take stock in a roof garden with a mint tea. We choose one of the bars lining the Djemaa el Fna Square and enjoy the birds-eye-view over the markets of Marrakesh in comfort.
Steam rises from the hot vats and the waiters are still going, trying to charm people to choose their restaurant over the 100s of others. It looks beautiful.
From our roof garden we spy a bar just next door. We skip over and sit atop La Boheme with a cool glass of white wine and a beautiful view, feeling revived and excited to get stuck into the souks and markets again tomorrow.
