Jamaa El Fna comes alive in the evening, attracting thousands of people from around Morrocco and tourists alike.
If you think it’s a busy place during the daytime, be prepared for a surprise once the sun begins to set.
Gone are the snake charmers and chained monkies to be replaced with food vendors and henna ladies, street musicians, and dancers.
The scene is organised chaos and a sensory overload.
The sights, sounds, and smells are not for the faint-hearted.
This is where people come together to meet each other, eat traditional street food, and sip mint tea and freshly squeezed juice.
The atmosphere is electric and vibrates with a magnetic energy.
Street vendors pursue potential customers with menus as they try to navigate their way through the crowds.
Sometimes, they can be very persistent, and you can feel somewhat intimidated.
The scene is very intense yet magical and exciting.
I really enjoyed myself, but other people say that they felt slightly overwhelmed.
It is unlike anything else you may have experienced.
There is so much to see. There are games being played, and a few little scams take place to trick you into coughing up a few dirhams.
Locals hang around, chat with each other, or play with a football close to the walls of the medina.
Sugarcane is sold from vending carts.
Bemused onlookers sit observing everything outside restaurants or from the rooftops in the square as the mosque rings out the call to prayer.
As the sun sets, the crowds flock, and the atmosphere becomes intense and electrifying.
The square is transformed into a social hub where anything and everything takes place.
It’s an incredible experience.
The bright lights dazzle from the food vendors, and beautiful Morroccan lamps for sale on blankets light the way, giving off a wonderful glow.
The aroma of sheeps head cooking floats through the air.
Tourists tempted to try a bowl of snails queue to sample this culinary delight.
Drums beat, belly dancers perform to curious onlookers and acrobats show off their skills to the crowds.
From restaurant windows around the square, you can watch from a safe distance, but you can not escape the craziness.
It magnetises you.
The sheer madness, a complete assault on the senses in every way possible.
It’s as though the whole of Morrocco has come out to play, and they are determined to have a good time.
Jamaa El Fna at night is truly a spectacle to behold.
It’s lively, colourful, aromatic, and noisy.
Be sure to visit and become a part of what makes Marrakech so unique.
It’s certainly an eye-opener.
Although it’s mostly safe around the square, exercise the usual caution in large crowded areas and try to avoid obvious scams.
(more…)
Sounds Of The Souks 