Morocco’s Main
Tourist cities:
Marrakech:
Marrakesh is
possibly the most important of Morocco’s four former imperial cities (cities
that were built by Moroccan Berber empires). Marrakesh comprises an old
fortified city packed with vendors and their stalls (the medina), bordered by
modern neighborhoods, the most prominent of which is Gueliz.
Today it is one
of the busiest cities in Africa and serves as a major economic center and
tourist destination. Ménara International Airport and the Marrakesh railway
station, which connects the city to Casablanca, serve Marrakesh and northern
Morocco. A hot semi-arid climate predominates at Marrakesh.
Average temperatures range from 12 °C (54 °F) in the
winter to 32 – 45 °C (90 – 113 °F) in the summer.[45] The relatively wet winter
and dry summer precipitation pattern of Marrakesh mirrors precipitation
patterns found in Mediterranean climates. The Jemaa el-Fnaa is one of the
best-known squares in Africa and is the center of city activity and trade. It
has been described as a “world-famous square”, a metaphorical urban icon, a
bridge between the past and the present, the place where Moroccan tradition
encounters modernity.
Fes:
Fes is the second or third largest city of Morocco.
The city has two old medinas, the larger of which is Fes el Bali. It is listed
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is believed to be one of the world’s
largest car-free urban areas. Located by the Atlas Mountains, Fez has a
Mediterranean climate with a strong continental influence, shifting from cold
and rain in the winter to dry and hot days in the summer months between June
and September.
