Jemaa el-Fnaa Square – monkeys, snake charmers, and more – Marrakesh, Morocco

In the middle of the Red City of Morocco (so called because of the pink color of its buildings), Jemaa el-Fnaa is a large town square and market place. Located in the medina (old city) section of Marrakesh, it is still the main square in Marrakesh and is used by both tourists and local people for dining, shopping and entertainment.

It is busy whirl of activity at all times of the day but is most crowded at night when it cools off and many food stalls open.
During the daylight hours, you can see trinket and basket sellers, water-sellers (with their water bags and brass cups that locals get drinks from and coffee sellers with metal coffee pots.  As well as snake charmers and monkey trainers, who are looking to put a monkey on you and charge you for it.

As it starts to get dark, you’ll start to see street entertainers, like acrobats, and magicians.  Even later, many food stalls open. This is when the square is the most crowded.  There are also games (like catching the bottle with the fishing stick – shown below) and music.

Along the edge of the square are a large souk as well as many hotels and restaurants.  We stayed a little bit down one of the narrow walkways the leads into the Medinah from the square.

Getting a meal at one of the restaruants fringing the square at dusk is a recommended experience as the sights and sounds are a delightful memory.  The calls of the snake charmers, the music, the laughing, all mingle in a loud cacaphony of sound, as you eat and drink and watch the sun go down.