Marrakech is an Aladdin's cave for the serious shopper or souvenir-hunter. The Medina is alive with cottage industries worked by skilled artisans using methods that have barely changed over the centuries. You’ll find all sorts of workshops on your way through the Medina, including tanneries, weavers, hatmakers, shoemakers, and many more, and the artisans may be able to sell you items you see being finished. The souks are also filled with a vast range of craft items and they are the obvious place to go to see the wealth of what is on offer. The sheer number of shops and stalls is overwhelming, although many seem to offer the same wares, particularly babouches (slippers, from Dhs30), jellabas (embroidered gowns, from Dhs100) and large brass platters for use as trays or small table tops. Every section of the souk has its own speciality, with alleys devoted to everything from spices and ironwork to the ingredients necessary for casting magic spells. Areas worth seeking out include the Kissaria, shoulder-width alleyways lined with stallholders specialising in cotton, clothing, kaftans and blankets. The Criée Berbère, a group of dimly lit, roofed passageways that was once a slave market but is now the centre of the carpet trade. The most photogenic is the Souk des Teinturiers, or dyers' souk, with it’s dazzling array of coloured wool drying in suspended sheafs. The shops nearby specialise in pottery, lanterns and assorted pieces of metalwork.
In latter years there has been a government clampdown on hassle from over-eager guides and salesmen, so you shouldn’t be pressured to have to take a guide to help you through the souks if you don’t want to. It's almost impossible to get lost in the souks - the alleyways may be winding but the Medina is not that big and you only need ask a local for help to be set back on the right track.
Do bear in mind that you are expected to bargain in the souks in Morocco and it is something you will quickly get used to (and get better at). But don't bargain for something unless you really want it, and be prepared to take your time. There are no hard and fast rules to bargaining – it is really about paying what you think something is worth to you. Also don’t think that you need to pay a specific percentage of the first asking price: a guideline would be to offer around a third of what you want to pay, some sellers will make a deal for as little as a tenth of the initial price. Don't appear too keen, be prepared to walk away if your offer is not accepted, it’s highly likely that you will be called back to continue bargaining. Do remember - bargaining should be fun!
The souks however they are not always the best place to buy. So before you head off to the souks, you might want to get an idea of how much you should expect to pay for goods by visiting the government-run craft centre, the Ensemble Artisanal, on Avenue Mohammed V, near the Koutoubia Mosque. This small shopping mall and craft training centre, offers good quality goods at reasonable, fixed prices. Also, when the idea of spending a hot summer afternoon in the souks is too much, Guéliz has some very upmarket boutique style shops with air conditioning.
Opening hours are irregular, but as a general rule, places in Guéliz open around 9am and close for a long lunch break from about 1-3pm, closing in the evening about 7pm. In the médina, the souks are generally open daily 9am-7pm and closed Friday mornings.
