Kasbah and Mellah of Marrakech: a walking tour of the southern medina

The route at a glance

The walk forms a loop of about 3 km, entirely on foot, in this order: Bab Agnaou, the Kasbah Mosque, the Saadian Tombs, El Badi Palace, Place des Ferblantiers, the Mellah, Bahia Palace, the Riad Zitoun quarter (where the Dar Si Said museum is closed for restoration), then back towards Jemaa el-Fna along Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jdid. Allow a full day with the visits, or half a day if you only go inside two monuments.

Start at 9am, when the monuments run by the Ministry of Culture open. The queue at the Saadian Tombs grows quickly from 10:30am, when tour groups arrive. Bahia Palace is very busy in the late morning; crowds ease slightly in mid-afternoon.

For a first overview of the old city and its landmarks, see also our guide to the Marrakech medina.

Stop 1: Bab Agnaou and the Kasbah

The walk begins at Bab Agnaou, the monumental carved-stone gate that led into the Almohad Kasbah, the royal quarter founded at the end of the 12th century. Its arch is framed by a Quranic inscription in Kufic script and floral motifs. The gate is about ten minutes' walk south of the Koutoubia, along the city walls. Our page on the walls and gates of Marrakech covers the city's other gates.

Through the gate you enter the Kasbah of Marrakech, a residential quarter quieter than the northern medina. Its mosque, known as the Moulay el-Yazid Mosque or Kasbah Mosque, dates from the Almohad period. Its minaret, decorated with brick interlacing on a green ceramic background, can be seen from the street. Entry is reserved for Muslims, as in all active mosques in the city.

Stop 2: the Saadian Tombs

The entrance to the Saadian Tombs lies down a narrow lane pressed against the side of the Kasbah Mosque. The necropolis of the Saadian dynasty, laid out in the 16th century, was walled up by later rulers and rediscovered in the early 20th century. It holds two mausoleums set in a garden. The Hall of the Twelve Columns, where Sultan Ahmed el-Mansour lies, cannot be entered: you look in from the threshold, hence the queue that forms in front.

The site is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Tickets cost 100 MAD for a foreign adult and 50 MAD for a foreign child aged 7 to 13. The visit takes 30 to 45 minutes. Arrive at opening time and you will reach the main hall without waiting.

Stop 3: El Badi Palace

From the tombs, walk to El Badi Palace in about ten minutes, leaving the Kasbah by its eastern side. The palace was built by Ahmed el-Mansour from 1578, after the Battle of the Three Kings. A century later, the Alaouite sultan Moulay Ismail had it stripped to reuse its materials in Meknes. What remains is a vast courtyard with pools and sunken gardens, rammed-earth walls where storks nest, and terraces overlooking the medina and, on clear days, the Atlas.

A pavilion houses the minbar of the Koutoubia, the carved and inlaid wooden pulpit made in Cordoba in the 12th century. Do not miss it: it is displayed in a separate room at the far end of the courtyard. The palace is open daily from 9am to 5pm; tickets cost 100 MAD for a foreign adult. Allow about an hour.

Stop 4: Place des Ferblantiers and the Mellah

Outside El Badi Palace, Place des Ferblantiers is lined with metal lantern workshops and terraces. It marks the entrance to the Mellah of Marrakech, the former Jewish quarter created in the mid-16th century under the Saadians, next to the royal palace. In 2017 the quarter and several of its streets got their historic names back, by royal decision.

In the Mellah, three stops are worth the detour:

• The Mellah covered market, near Place des Ferblantiers: spices, dried fruit and flowers, with a mostly local clientele.
• The Slat al-Azama synagogue, Rue Talmoud Torah, whose founding is traditionally dated to 1492, still in use for worship. A small contribution is requested at the entrance; a courtyard displays photos on the history of the Jews of Morocco. It is closed on Saturdays.
• The Miâara Jewish cemetery, on the eastern side of the quarter, the largest in the country, with its whitewashed tombs. The caretaker collects an entry fee.

The Mellah is a lived-in, commercial neighbourhood: be discreet with your camera and ask before photographing residents.

Stop 5: Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace is just north of the Mellah, a few minutes on foot. It was built in the second half of the 19th century by the vizier Si Moussa, then enlarged by his son Ba Ahmed, grand vizier to Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz. You walk through a series of courtyards, gardens planted with orange trees and reception rooms decorated with zellige, stucco and painted cedar ceilings. The palace is open daily from 9am to 5pm; tickets cost 100 MAD for a foreign adult and 50 MAD for a foreign child aged 7 to 13. Allow an hour.

The Ministry of Culture's online ticket office sells timed tickets at the same price as the ticket desk. Its main advantage is skipping the ticket queue in high season.

Stop 6: Dar Si Said and the Riad Zitoun quarter

Five minutes from the Bahia, the Dar Si Said museum occupies the house of Si Said, Ba Ahmed's brother, which became the National Museums Foundation's national museum of weaving and carpets. Damaged by the September 2023 earthquake, it is closed for major restoration work: the Foundation announced that the works would end in 2026, but the reopening had not been confirmed when we checked in October 2026. You can still see its door and the lane leading to it, Derb Si Said, as you walk up Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jdid. If a passer-by claims the museum is open "through another entrance", check for yourself at the door.

On the same street, the Tiskiwin museum displays the collection of anthropologist Bert Flint, arranged as a journey from Marrakech to Timbuktu. The museum closed for works after the September 2023 earthquake, and its reopening had not been officially confirmed when we checked in October 2026: ask on site before planning it as a stop.

To finish, walk up Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jdid, lined with shops and cafés, which leads to Jemaa el-Fna square in about ten minutes.

Summary table of the stops

Prices observed in October 2026. Moroccan nationals and residents pay 30 MAD at Ministry of Culture monuments. Hours may change during Ramadan and on religious holidays.

Where to eat and take a break

The route passes several simple places for lunch or a mint tea:

• Place des Ferblantiers: its terraces serve tagines, salads and orange juice, halfway between El Badi and the Bahia.
• Café Clock, Derb Chtouka, in the Kasbah: a cultural café with a rooftop terrace, known for its storytelling and music evenings.
• Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jdid: cafés and small restaurants at the end of the route, before you reach Jemaa el-Fna.

Carry water: from May to September, afternoon temperatures often exceed 35 °C, and the palace courtyards offer little shade.

Traps to avoid

The southern medina draws fewer touts than the souks, but a few scenarios come up again and again:

• "It's closed today": a passer-by claims the palace or synagogue is closed and offers to take you elsewhere, often to a shop. Check for yourself at the entrance.
• Fake guides around the Bahia and the Mellah, who walk with you uninvited and then ask for money. A polite, firm refusal is enough; official guides wear a badge.
• Horse carriages and taxis without an agreed fare leaving from Place des Ferblantiers: settle the price before getting in.

Our article on scams to avoid in Marrakech covers these situations and how to respond.

Further reading

To place the southern medina within the old city as a whole, start with our guide to the Marrakech medina. For more historical background, the pages on Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs describe each monument in detail, and the page on the Mellah of Marrakech tells the story of its community.