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| Home > City Guide - Marrakech - Shopping | ||
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Shopping Leading off from the northern edge of Jemaa El Fna are the winding alleyways of the souks, the vast crowded, chaotic central market of Marrakech, where browsers can buy anything from jewellery and textiles to herbs and love potions, carpets to camels. These are well worth exploration, regardless of whether the intention is to buy anything. Divided into sections according to the trade they conduct, they are best approached from Rue Souk Smarine, a busy thoroughfare, covered to provide protection from the sun, which runs for half the length of the souks before forking into Souk El Attarin and Souk El Kebir. The area the souks cover may at first seem like a labyrinth but it is, in fact, deceptively compact. Each area specialises in certain products; many are still workshops, with ironworkers, carpenters, dyers and tailors plying their trade in the tiny shop fronts. Bargaining is essential – visitors should start at around one third of what they want to pay. Having said that, real bargains are unlikely, no matter how much haggling takes place. The exchange rate is managed firmly by the Government and people have enough exposure to tourism and Western media to know the value of things. Visitors do not have to walk far before the first offers on carpets are made and those with the time and patience can easily spend hours drinking mint tea, head shaking, sighing and smiling as rugs and carpets are unrolled. A good idea of quality and prices can be found at the government-run Ensemble Artisanal, Avenue Mohammed V, near the Koutoubia, a small shopping mall and craft training centre, offering high-quality goods at reasonable, fixed prices. For those serious about purchasing a carpet, a good place to go is Bazaar Chichoua, 5 Souk des Ksous. Other things to look out for are copper and silverware, silk or cotton garments, wooden articles and jewellery, which can be found in Galleria Ministero del Gusto, 22 Derb Azouz El Moussine, in the souks, or L’Orientaliste, 15 Rue de la Libertie, Guéliz. For leather, Place Vendome, 141 Avenue Mohammed V, is a good bet. Shopping hours are usually 0900-2000/2100 Monday to Saturday. Some close for lunch; some may close on Friday; some, including those in the souks remain open on Sunday. There is no provision for tourists to reclaim any sales tax or VAT on accommodation or goods that they buy. Many people actively resist giving an official receipt, as this forces them to declare (and pay) the VAT. |
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