Marrakech is one of Morocco's oldest imperial cities, founded around 1060 and once the capital of the Almoravid dynasty. Set on the Haouz plain and watered by the Tensift river, it's known as the "Pearl of the South", with the snow-capped High Atlas rising behind thousands of palms.
At its height the empire stretched from Spain to Senegal, and Marrakech stood at the crossroads of ancient caravan routes from Timbuktu — a key hub for traders carrying gold and salt north toward Europe. That history is still written into the city's walls, gardens and souks today.
