Marrakech, located at 200 km south of Casablanca (map), is known also as the "Red City" and is an
important imperial
city in Morocco.
The city of Marrakech is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of
Marrakech-Tensift-Al
Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas
Mountains. The city of Marrakech comprises
both an old fortified city (the médina)
and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz) for a total population of
more than 1,000,000.
It is served by Ménara International Airport and a rail
link to Casablanca
and the north.
Marrakech has the largest
traditional market (souk)
in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa
and the world, Djemaa el
Fna. The square bustles with acrobats,
story-tellers, water sellers, dancers and musicians. By night food stalls open
in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant.
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