Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Avenue Mohammed V
The wide avenue named
after Morocco's first king is the
spine of Marrakech. It connects
the old and new cities, running
from the Koutoubia to Jbel
Guéliz (Mount Guéliz), a grandly
named rocky outcrop northwest
of the town. Along the way are
three major traffic circles: Place
de la Liberté with its modern
fountain; Place du 16 Novembre
where the main post office is
located; and the heart of the
New City, Place Abdel Moumen
Ben Ali.
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Map C5
@
Mauresque architecture
Flower shops at Marché Central
£
Marché Central
The once popular central
market has suffered from the
arrival of edge-of-town
hypermarkets and by its
relocation. From a former prime
site on Avenue Mohammed V, it
has now shifted to its current
home, buried behind the
enormous new Marrakech Plaza
development on Place 16
Novembre. Still, the handful of
adjacent flower shops in the
market make for a colourful
scene. There are also one or two
good handicraft shops that are
worth visiting.
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Map C5 • Rue Ibn
Toumert • Open 7am-2pm, 4-8pm Mon-
Sat, 7am-2pm Sun
The French brought with
them European architectural
styles which mixed with local
Moorish influences, to create a
new style, dubbed “Mauresque .
Avenue Mohammed V is dotted
with structures that were built
within this particular style,
especially where it intersects
with Rue de la Liberté; here
several buildings have clean
Modernist lines but also have
pavement arcades to shade
pedestrians from the blazing
North African sun.
$
Église des Saints-Martyrs
de Marrakech
Built in 1926, the otherwise
spartan interior of this Catholic
church is enlivened only by
colourful panels of stained glass
and stands as a tribute to six
13th-century Franciscan friars
who were beheaded by the
sultan as a punishment for
preaching Christianity. The
church's bell tower is now
almost entirely overshadowed
by the minaret of an adjacent
mosque. Protestant services are
conducted in the library.
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Map C5 • Rue El Imam Ali, Guéliz
• 0524 43 05 85 • Services 6:30pm
Mon-Sat, 10am Sun
Église des Saints-Martyrs de Marrakech
75
For more on Moroccan architecture and design styles,
see pp36-9.
