Djemaa el-Fna LANDMARK
Offline map Google map ( 9am-1am) Think of it as live-action channel-surfing:everywhere you look in the Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakesh’s main square and open-air theatre,
you’ll discover drama already in progress. The hoopla and halqa (street theatre) has been non-
stop here ever since this plaza was the site of public executions around AD 1050 – hence its
name, which means ‘assembly of the dead’.
By 10am, the daily performance is underway. Snake charmers blast oboes to calm cobras
hissing at careening Vespas; henna tattoo artists beckon to passersby; water-sellers in fringed
hats clang brass cups together, hoping to drive people to drink.
The show doesn’t peak until shadows fall and 100 chefs arrive with grills in tow, cueing
musicians to tune up their instruments. This is a show you don’t want to miss – but stay alert to
horse-drawn-carriage traffic, pickpockets and rogue gropers. Arrive early in the evening to nab
prime seats on makeshift stools (women and elders get dibs). By 7.30pm, families are rocking
out at electric-lute jam sessions; even toddlers bounce to the beat and yell Helwa! (Sweet!)
Applause and a few dirhams ensure an encore. A bargain show, and critically acclaimed too:
for bringing urban legends and oral history to life nightly, Unesco declared the Djemaa el-Fna a
‘Masterpiece of World Heritage’ in 2001. While a 2011 cafe bombing on the square left the
country stunned, the legendary performers quickly regrouped. After 1000 years of
performances no matter the weather or political climate, the show goes heroically on in the
Djemaa el-Fna.