Guide 01 of 07
The Medina
A city inside a city
What a medina is, why GPS fails, why streets look sketchy, and how centuries-old infrastructure shapes daily life.
16 observations
What is a medina?
The Arabic word for "city."
In Morocco, it refers to the old walled city — the original urban centre, built before cars, with narrow streets, mosques, markets, and residential quarters packed inside defensive walls. Every major Moroccan city has one. The modern city (ville nouvelle) was built outside the walls during the French protectorate, starting in 1912. When people say "the medina," they mean the old city inside the walls.
Why is my GPS wrong?
High walls bounce GPS signals — errors of 10 to 30 metres.
Read more →What does "Balak!" mean?
Move aside.
Read more →Why does the bathroom smell?
Dry drain traps. Run the tap for ten seconds.
Read more →Why is the riad so hard to find?
The door is designed to blend into the wall.
Read more →Why is it so cold inside in winter?
Thermal mass works both ways.
Read more →Why can you hear everything?
The courtyard is a vertical amphitheatre.
Read more →Why are the beds so hard?
That's how they're meant to feel in Morocco.
Read more →Why are there cockroaches in a clean riad?
Climate and infrastructure, not hygiene.
Buildings in the medina share walls and drainage channels — entire city blocks are connected underground. A cockroach in a spotless riad didn't originate there. The species that thrives here (Periplaneta americana) can flatten through a 3mm gap and breeds in temperatures Marrakech maintains for seven months of the year.
Why is it so loud at 4:30am?
The call to prayer (Fajr) from minarets.
Read more →What was the 2023 earthquake?
Magnitude 6.8, 8 September 2023.
Read more →Why are the walls stained or bubbling?
Efflorescence — mineral salts pushed to the surface by moisture.
Read more →Why are the floors stained or uneven?
Handmade tiles are porous by nature.
Read more →Why does the wifi barely work?
Thick walls block the signal.
Read more →Why does the electricity flicker?
Old wiring and shared circuits.
Read more →Why are there cats everywhere?
They're the city's pest control.
Read more →