Healers, henna artists, snake charmers, storytellers, trained monkeys (some complete with diapers), and cross-dressing belly dancers clamor for my attention in Jemaa el-Fnaa. Tantalizing clouds of smoke rise from food stands, while Berber musicians play harmonic melodies to accompany our meal. The Marrakesh Medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this central plaza is one of its top attractions. The many sights, sounds, smells, and tastes are a sensory overload that is bound to both amaze and mystify.

Photo courtesy and copyright flickr creative commons: amerune

Walking through the square in the daytime, we see vendors surrounded by clumps of people. Tooth sellers proudly show us the teeth they have removed, and water sellers approach us to take pictures, but we choose to roam the narrow alleyways of the surrounding Medina instead. In the late afternoon, we pass through again and glimpse workers hurrying to set up over 100 gazebos and booths, which serve food to both tourists and locals at night. The tents are numbered rather than named, and are required to have the same prices and serve almost identical foods. Touts entice us to eat at their stalls with entertaining remarks and special bonuses like free bread and mint tea, a Moroccan specialty. There are also stalls around the outside serving a larger variety of foods like sweets, whole sheep heads, and snails, among other interesting (and sometimes unidentifiable) foods for the more adventurous eaters. One of my favorite Moroccan meals is a traditional dish called pastilla, a sweet pastry (which was originally filled with spiced pigeon, but now chicken is more common) that tastes more like a dessert than a meal. Barbecued meats such as lamb or beef and vegetables of all kinds are also common in the square.

The upbeat atmosphere of Jemaa el-Fnaa is a fascinating cultural display and definitely a must see for anyone visiting Marrakesh!

Melissa Albom is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

Photos courtesy and copyright Melissa Albom, except where noted