Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$
Tooth Pullers
Herbalists
These stand as
testimony to the
Moroccan belief in
natural remedies.
Compounds of
ground roots, dried
herbs and even
desiccated animal
parts are used for
everything, from
curing head colds
to warding off the
evil eye.
%
These self-proclaimed
“dentists” sit behind wooden
trays filled with loose teeth
(below)
ready to aid cash-poor
locals with aching dentures.
^
Porters
With cars banned from crossing Jemaa El Fna,
access to many of the hotels in the surrounding
alleys is provided by the ubiquitous porter
(carroser),
who carries your luggage on a wheeled barrow and
transports it to your lodgings for a small tip.
&
Monkey
Trainers
Small monkeys
dressed in bright
tunics are brought
to the square by
their keepers to
caper and dance
for tossed coins.
*
Calèches
Hop into one of the waiting
calèches,
or horse-
drawn carriages
(below),
parked along the square's
west side. For a fee - you may need to bargain down
from the driver's inflated price - you can take a circuit
of the city walls, or almost anywhere you care to go.
An Unplanned
Masterpiece
Jemaa El Fna is
considered to be a
“Masterpiece of the
Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity ,
according to the
UNESCO. This is an
international list that
includes pieces of
intangible culture such
as song cycles,
theatrical traditions
and sacred spaces.
Inclusion in the list
is intended to raise
awareness and preserve
something unique and
irreplaceable; Jemaa El
Fna certainly qualifies.
(
Water Sellers
Known by the locals
as
gerrab
, the water
sellers roam the square
in colourful costume and
tassel-fringed hats,
ringing copper bells to
announce their arrival
(centre)
. The brass cups
are meant exclusively for
the Muslims while the
white-metal cups are for
the thirsty people from
all other religions.
)
Fortune Tellers
Throughout the day,
impossibly wrinkled,
elderly women squat
beneath umbrellas with
packs of Tarot cards to
hold forth on the fortunes
of the people who drop
by for a reading.
9
For dining and shopping options in this area,
see pp64-5.
