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Marrakesh · Mysteries & legends

Golden Orbs, Storks and Saints: Legendary Marrakech

Marrakech is the city of seven saints and of storytellers. On this route you'll hear the legends told beneath its minaret, in its great square, among the herbalists and beside a dome buried for centuries, before ending at the shrine of its patron saint. At every stop we'll tell you what is documented and what belongs to tradition.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.7 km
  • 1 h 55 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Jemaa el-Fna at sunset full of smoking food stalls

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Koutoubia: the Golden OrbsThree metal spheres atop the minaret and a repentant sultana: the most-told legend in Marrakech.
  2. 2 Jemaa el-Fna: Assembly of the DeadAfrica's liveliest square has a name many translate as 'assembly of the dead'. Why?
  3. 3 Rahba Kedima, the Herbalists' SquareReptile skins, roots and coloured powders: the corner of the medina where remedies, amulets and spells are sold.
  4. 4 The Almoravid KoubbaThe only Almoravid monument still standing in Marrakech spent centuries buried under metres of rubble.
  5. 5 Dar Bellarj, the House of StorksA former refuge for injured storks and the Moroccan belief that these birds were once human beings.
  6. 6 Shrine of Sidi Bel AbbèsThe patron saint of Marrakech, protector of the blind, and the pilgrimage of the seven saints that turned the city into a sacred map.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Golden Orbs, Storks and Saints: Legendary Marrakech

Legends with an address

Each tale is tied to a minaret, a square or a doorway you can actually see.

Record and tradition

We separate what the sources say from what people tell, without taking the magic out of the mystery.

City of saints

Why Marrakech calls itself the city of the seven men.

Keep exploring

More routes in Marrakesh

Back to Marrakesh
HistoryAlmohads, Saadians and Viziers: Eight Centuries of Power MixedFrom the Great Square to the Medina's Hidden Gardens