World City Guide

Shopping

Leading off from the northern edge of Jemaa-el-Fna are the winding alleyways of the souks, the vast crowded, chaotic central market of Marrakech. Browsers can pick up anything from jewellery, textiles or carpets to herbs, love potions and camels. Visitors will find these souks are well worth exploring, regardless of whether they intend to buy anything. The area the souks cover may at first seem like a labyrinth but it is, in fact, deceptively compact. Each area specialises in certain products; many are still workshops, with ironworkers, carpenters, dyers and tailors plying their trade in the tiny shop fronts. Divided into sections according to the trade they conduct, they are best approached from Rue Souk Smarine. This busy thoroughfare, covered to provide protection from the sun, runs for half the length of the souks before forking into Souk El Attarin and Souk El Kebir. Leading off the Souk El Attarin are spice, metalwork, dyed goods and metalwork souks. Wander around the Souk El Kebir area to find leatherwear, carpets, cassette tapes, cheap Western goods and traditional Moroccan clothing.

Bargaining is essential – visitors should start at around one third of what they want to pay. Visitors do not have to walk far before the first offers on carpets are made and those with the time and patience can easily spend hours drinking mint tea, head shaking, sighing and smiling as rugs and carpets are unrolled.

A good idea of quality and prices can be found at the government-run Ensemble Artisanal, Avenue Mohammed V, near the Koutoubia Mosque. This is a small shopping mall and craft training centre, offering high-quality goods at reasonable, fixed prices.

For those serious about purchasing a carpet, a good place to go is Bazaar Chichoua, 5 Souk des Ksous. Other things to look out for are copper and silverware, silk or cotton garments, wooden articles and jewellery, which can be found in Galleria Ministero del Gusto, 22 Derb Azouz El Moussine, in the souks, or L’Orientaliste, 15 Rue de la Libertie, Guéliz. For leather, Place Vendome, 141 Avenue Mohammed V, is a good bet. There are many other stores in Guéliz aside from those selling traditional goods. In the streets around Place Abdel Moumen ben Ali, there are English-language bookshops, as well as fashion outlets, patisseries and computer stores.

Shopping hours are usually 0900–2000/2100 Monday to Saturday. Some close for lunch; some may close on Friday; some, including those in the souks, remain open on Sunday and public holidays. There is no provision for tourists to reclaim any sales tax or VAT on accommodation or goods that they buy. Many shop-owners actively resist giving an official receipt, as this forces them to declare (and pay) the VAT.