Discover the Souks in Marrakesh

If you are visiting Morocco’s Red City, you must list the souks of Marrakesh in your itinerary. Despite the hustles and bustles, this is a great place for you to find good stuff and learn how to haggle for them.

A brief history of Souks in Marrakesh

The souks in Marrakesh started as a traditional market where locals purchased their daily essentials. The merchants generally travel from one souk to another once a month or once a week. As Marrakesh is a significant location in Morocco, the traders from north, south, east, and west don’t fail to make a stop here every day. The goods available here come not only from all over Morocco but also from the surrounding African countries. This is something that makes souks in Marrakesh traditional, special and a perfect spot to stop by. You’ll see traveling merchants with heavily loaded caravans tied to camels or donkeys.

The growth and popularity

With the growing population, the demand for the essentials was significantly increasing. So, the merchants found great opportunities to expand the souks in Marrakesh closer to where the main community is. For the locals, this made their everyday shopping much easier. The number of goods increased day by day provided utmost convenience for both residents and visitors. Below are some of the iconic souvenirs you may want to take home with you.

• Plenty of pottery stalls – from soup bowls, plates to dip holders you can find them in any size to fit into your suitcase.

• Aromatic spices – For many travelers, this is the first thing that comes to their minds when planning to visit the souks of Marrakesh.

• Handmade woven carpets – traditional and colorful.

• Leather goods – from wallets, belts to shoes.

Navigating your way through the souks

Remember, the souks in Marrakesh are somewhere you can easily get lost! With all the good items for sale, narrow and crowded passageways will make everywhere looks similar. So, the best piece of advice is, always explore the place with a local guide. And in doing so, make sure the guide is licensed as there are many locals who earn by pretending to be good guides. If you consider getting lost is fun, It’s totally fine to explore the place all by yourself, just keep the below facts in mind if you are doing so.

• Use a map of the area – The hotel you will be staying in will be able to provide you with one. Or you can simply print one from an available online source.

• Use GPS – As most of the streets have signs, look for a landmark you could easily navigate to.

• The Koutoubia Mosque – This could be a great reference point.

• Asking for directions – You can easily lose your way! Always ask for directions from families, females, or shop owners instead of younger males.