Morocco Photography Souvenirs

A Sensory Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech, Morocco

Jewellery for sale in the souks of Marrakech

Have you ever explored the souks of Marrakech?

Morocco is the most atmospheric country I’ve ever visited.

There are horse-drawn carts moving bumpily along palm-tree-lined highways; the red flags with green stars, interspersed with banners filled with Arabic script strung from lampposts.

There are huge dishes of steaming tagines, their dark clay lids balanced on white tablecloths.

And every few moments you hear the eerily beautiful words of the call to prayer emanating from dozens of minarets all at once.

But in particular, there’s something otherworldly about the Marrakech souks.

Moroccan flag banners in the souks of Marrakech

A Moroccan souk is a fascinating place. While the vast majority of tourists come here to bargain for Moroccan souvenirs, take photos and walk about with their mouths agape, it’s also the place where local residents do the bulk of their shopping.

At least, you sincerely hope that the stall laden with fresh cuts of meat hanging from butcher’s hooks is only frequented by the locals.

A butcher's stall in the souks of Marrakech

I’ve tried to think of the best way to describe a Moroccan souk for those of you who’ve never been inside one, and the word ‘chaotic’ comes to mind; a seemingly never-ending set of twisting lanes and alleyways, laid out in the closest resemblance to a labyrinth that I’ve ever seen.

Even if it’s a labyrinth that sells an inordinate amount of sweets.

Sweets for sale in the souks of Marrakesh

Yet from the outside, the Marrakech souk doesn’t look too daunting. Sure, it’s got high walls, austere brick archways and the occasional cloud of birds bursting into the sky above – but it’s still not enough to convey the sheer wealth of energy which lies in wait on the other side.

The entrance gate of the Marrakech souk

But then you duck your head a little to walk beneath those archways (which often feels as though a piece of souk decor is going to tumble downwards and onto your head).

For the first time, you enter the souk.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech


Read more: Exploring the crazy world of El Alto market, Bolivia


Your first impression inside the souk is how the light changes.

You turn down an alleyway at random, running your fingertips along the surface of the rough paint – which has somehow retained its brightness, despite flaking away as soon as you touch it.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

This is where the ‘choose your own adventure’ portion of a walk through a souk really kicks in. If you’re with friends, it’s also the time to establish some kind of identifying whistle so you can find each other again. Or at least attempt to.

Things are about to get somewhat disorientating.

The world inside the souks of Marrakech

It’s not that the souk is cramped, exactly – more that the action surrounding you at every turn is so energetic, so tight with movement, that it takes a long moment to adjust.

The air becomes thicker and less accessible; but when you look upwards, expecting to see a solid roof above your head, you see a succession of thin wooden slats instead.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

The slats splinter the bright sunlight outside so it falls in shafts, illuminating some objects and obscuring others.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

This is how you begin to focus in on the objects on sale in the souk – almost like someone’s pointing a torch straight at the things you should think about buying. How about those tagine cooking pots, or the painted ceramic plates?

If you’re not keen on pottery, how about something else handmade by the ‘very people’ (it’s true, someone told you) who own each stall? The jewelled Moroccan lamps would look beautiful in your living room, wouldn’t they?

Marrakech lamps in the Moroccan souks

Shopping for Marrakech souvenirs in the Moroccan souks

I tend to think logistically, so the size of my suitcase waiting in the hotel room is of particular importance. Lanterns and pottery probably aren’t going to fit, but the smaller souvenirs are much easier to pack away.

“They’re also likely to be cheaper,” I think – and suddenly I’m lost among the seemingly never-ending shelves of knickknacks that my mum would’ve had a field day over. In terms of both photographing and purchasing.

Moroccan souvenir lamps in the souks of Marrakech

 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

Eventually, as is the case in most markets around the world, I gravitate towards the leather.

There is so, so much leather in a Moroccan market.

I see leather slippers, as soft as butter, erupting from woven baskets in every colour of the rainbow. Shining leather handbags and shoulder bags are hung from thick silver nails on the rafters of every third stall. Even the leather bracelets are calling to me – and don’t even start on the wallets, the belts, the notebooks…

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech


Read more: Discovering the Chouara leather tanneries in Fez, Morocco


I spot a stall selling circular ottomans made of leather. Hiding amongst the samples is a beautiful one, divided into triangles of white and turquoise. I approach with caution, hoping to get a good amount of scrutinising in before the stall owner spots me.

“I give you good price lady!”

Too late.

Haggling: the only way to pay in a Moroccan souk

The problem with buying things in the souks of Marrakech isn’t just the overwhelming amount of choice. It’s also agreeing on what you’re actually going to spend.

Moroccan prices are often negotiable, and although the best methods for bargaining in Morocco depends on who you ask, but there’s only one way to really get it right – and that’s purely by practicing.

Whenever I arrive in a country where haggling is a standard way of life, my confidence crumbles a little (what if I start too high? Or try to go too low and then get shouted at?) but soon I get into the swing of it. Ok, so I probably pay way too much in the end, but getting the initially suggested price cut in half, or even taken down by two thirds, brings a certain smugness to eventually handing over your money!

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

When you step back from the purchasing part of Moroccan souk life though, it becomes a photography paradise. Look at your surroundings with a photographer’s eye, instead of a shopaholic’s. Notice that every single available surface is used as a place to display produce.

The walls are hung with carpets and bunches of coloured string. Cupboards housing electrical cables double as display cases. The mosaic-patterned steps leading through a doorway and up to a ladies hammam have been detailed with tiny wrought iron boxes.

Occasionally, you stop and wonder exactly what some of these objects are being sold for. And to whom.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

If you let it, your imagination can go into overdrive. Are these bikes waiting here for their owners? Are they for sale? Or did someone simply prop them up to lend even more aesthetic value to the beautifully chaotic souk atmosphere?

As that last thought dawns, you also realise that old bikes next to older walls and doors is actually a rather lovely scene to photograph.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

You get more adventurous with your camera as you notice more and more everyday scenes that now seem to scream ‘PHOTOGENIC’!

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

When you glance down, you see boxes near to overflowing with sticky dates, and nobody around to claim them.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

You pass by tall sacks filled to the brim with herbs and spices you don’t even know the names of.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

You gaze wistfully at perfect pyramids of coloured powders, wondering how on earth their owners keep them looking so pristine.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

Eventually you emerge, blinking, into a much wider space. Here you spot motorbikes with trucks and carts attached; outstretched parasols casting shadows over figures sitting in white plastic chairs; stalls backing onto each other or simply set up on an empty patch of ground.

These marketplaces provide much more room for people to move around. The attitude feels slightly more relaxed, and people chat as they walk slowly between the stalls, browsing.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech


Read more: Visiting a ladies hammam in the midst of a Moroccan souk


A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

The animals who live in a Moroccan souk

With the sunshine and the somewhat fresher air, a number of animals congregate in these areas too. Be forewarned; it’s easy to want to pick up (and/or adopt) basically every animal you see in the market.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

On the fringes of the souk, you notice the seedier ways that people try to grab the attention of the wandering tourists – like the monkeys dressed in children’s clothes, being led along the pavement by metal chains.

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

Or the clusters of snake handlers, surreptitiously ‘charming’ the wriggling serpents from flat wicker baskets.

These men also object most strongly to having their photo taken. Almost as if they know what they’re doing isn’t that animal friendly…

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

Leaving the souks of Marrakech behind

And just like that, you’re out of the Marrakech souk – walking right into the middle of Marrakech’s famous square, the Jemaa el Fna.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a rattling collection of Hands of Fatima and little jewelled lamps to cement the memory of so much sensory overload, and will probably be desperate for a steaming glass of mint tea.

Although if you’re still desperate for that last bargain you can always keep on shopping. Just remember to get out before the last lamps go out…

Have you ever walked through a Moroccan souk? How many souvenirs did you manage to pick up along the way? 

A Wander Through the Souks of Marrakech

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20 Comments

  • Reply
    Kim
    March 3, 2015 at 2:29 am

    Just wanted you to know I enjoy reading about your travels. I live in Alabama. I live to travel too. The colors are amazing in your photos of Marrakech. Kim

    • Reply
      Flora
      February 5, 2019 at 10:36 pm

      Thanks so much Kim!

  • Reply
    Landon @ Uneven Sidewalks
    March 3, 2015 at 2:48 am

    I love your pictures of the markets! There’s always so much going on and new sights and smells. It’s always hard to pass by all the beautiful souvenirs that won’t fit in my backpack!

  • Reply
    Veena
    March 3, 2015 at 9:38 am

    Stunning pictures and great descriptions! Enjoy your upcoming return visit 🙂
    xx

  • Reply
    angkisland
    March 3, 2015 at 10:39 am

    wow nice trip

  • Reply
    Zdenka
    March 3, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    Great post and pictures! Heading to Marrakech tomorrow and can’t wait. Now after reading your blog I’m even more excited about this trip. 🙂

  • Reply
    Simon Fenton
    March 3, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    I’m in Chefchaouen and heading to Marrakesh later this week, on my way home to Senegal – lovely photos!

  • Reply
    polly
    March 4, 2015 at 12:17 am

    It’s funny how taking a picture of something removes it from time and makes it calmer and more solid, somehow. My only experience with a market of this sort was at the Khan el-Khalili in Cairo. Looking through your pictures, I was marveling at how neat and sedate the souks of Marrakech seem to look compared to Cairo. Then I flipped back to my own pictures of Egypt and realized they make the Khan el-Khalili appear the same way! I love looking back at photos from different trips – it’s so true they help you focus on the details – but it’s amazing how the feel of a place changes when your other senses are being bombarded as well.

  • Reply
    Sabina
    March 5, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    Your pictures are amazing! It’s amazing how they seem to really capture the essence of the place.

  • Reply
    River cruiser
    March 12, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    Wow, what a fantastic post – your photos are amazing! I love how colourful the Souk is

  • Reply
    kami
    March 13, 2015 at 10:44 am

    These are some incredibly beautiful pictures! I feel I haven’t spent enough time in Marrakesh and now you just make me want to return there really badly!

  • Reply
    Jess
    March 15, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    Wow, I bet I can find many interesting objects on the streets there.
    That monkey is funny how it walks with her handler.

  • Reply
    baba
    March 16, 2015 at 5:33 pm

    hi
    ilove what you do and i m happy to meet you in chefchaouen

  • Reply
    Sarah@Travelcake
    March 25, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    I love Moroccan souks! Despite the hassle from some vendors, I can spend days and days exploring! I think you used the right word to describe them: fascinating!

  • Reply
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    Nikki Vargas
    July 29, 2015 at 1:32 am

    Another fabulous post! Ah getting so excited for visiting Morocco next week! I am going to have a million photos, I can already tell. Did you run into any issues taking photos in the souks? I read somewhere that sometimes people ask for money if they see you snap a photo.

    • Reply
      Flora
      August 1, 2015 at 8:18 pm

      Well usually people get a bit annoyed if you take photos of them but if you’re sneaky, then..! There’s a lot of asking for money but I generally would only be willing to pay someone if I was clearly taking a portrait – in which case I would’ve probably asked beforehand anyway. That’s just my opinion though!

  • Reply
    Jossus Travelpics
    March 7, 2018 at 11:26 am

    I´ve been to the souk in Marrakech and Casablanca but all I bought was a magnet.

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