Marrakesh Market

The brilliant colors of this ancient marketplace are but a pale reflection of the myriad mysteries that have passed through its unpretentious alleyways. If you take a stroll with a friend round this way, you will eventually find yourself sucked up into a fantasy of fired coffee and smoke, spilling into your head like a river of effervescent love so rich that your heart might not leave this land before your body begs for a moment of mercy. Marrakesh, known as the "Red City", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history. The city of Marrakesh is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, being also the 2nd largest city in Morocco. Marrakesh has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers and musicians. By night food stalls open in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant. Prior to the advent of the Almoravids in the 11th century, the area was ruled from the city of Aghmat. The Almoravid leader, Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar decided Aghmat was becoming overcrowded and chose to build a new capital. He decided to build it in the plains near the Tensift River. He chose the site of Marrakesh, because it was in neutral territory between two tribes who were vying for the honor of hosting the new capital. This sound uses the following file from Freesound: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=126101