MOROCCO: UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

MARRAKESH:

My first visit to Marrakesh was in October 2019 and I was so impressed but somewhat overwhelmed with this city. It’s such an unusual city where the ancient and the modern world exists side by side. Going through the old medinas and the souks, I was imagining Aladdin jumping across from one rooftop to the next in his constant escape from the authorities chasing him from ‘roof to roof!’ It seems my childhood ‘fairy tales’ of the 1001 Arabian Nights come to life for me! Morocco is home to more  UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES than any other country on the African continent. With a total of nine designated sites, Morocco claims two more than the wonder-strewn land of ancient Egypt with a further 13 sites up for consideration on the UNESCO Tentative List. Thanks to its relatively compact size and the convenient locations of these sites, it’s possible to visit all nine on one trip.

The donkeys, camels, mules, horse-drawn carriages, pedestrians, four-door sedans, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, herds of sheep, and city busses all share the same congested, overcrowded “two-lane traffic” road.

Marrakesh is many things, but what about it makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

To become a world heritage site as recognized by the United Nations through the United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO), the first element that has to be established is that the site in question has “outstanding universal value.”

For over a thousand years, Marrakesh has been many things. A hub for trade. A cultural melting pot. A powerful world capital. A tourist mecca. For all of these reasons, and many more, make the entire old medina of Marrakesh a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The most important of Morocco’s imperial cities, Marrakesh was an influential trading centre during its political, economic and cultural zenith in the 16th century. The historic city you see today was established in AD 1062 with terracotta-coloured mudbrick walls and architecture that give Marrakesh its nickname of the ‘Red City’. Throughout its history, the city has seen many reincarnations from the capital of the kingdom to a hippy hotspot that has inspired travellers since the 1960s.

The medina of Marrakech was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1985 due to its impressive collection of monuments. This includes the discernible Koutoubia Mosque. The Koutoubia Mosque, the 77 meter-tall minaret of which UNESCO declares is an “essential monument of Muslim architecture,” is one of the many highlights.  The splendid Ali ben Youssef Medersa and the opulent Bahia Palace. Within the ramparts are also numerous souks, hammams (public bath) and funduqs (courtyard complex). And at the centre of all this is Djemaa El-Fna, the city’s pulsating main square and a veritable open-air theatre with snake charmers, henna artists and food vendors all vying for your attention.

In addition to the many monuments, the Gardens of Marrakesh, such as the Menara Gardens,

and the fact that the old medina of Marrakesh remains a well-preserved original conception that continues to utilize old building materials and techniques and materials. and the argument for what makes Marrakesh so outstanding is an easy one to make.

Of course, Marrakesh isn’t the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Morocco. There are quite a few.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

• Roman Ruins of Volubilis
• Ait Ben Haddou
• Meknes
• Essaouira
• Fes
• Marrakech
• Tetouan
• El Jadida
• Rabat