Marrakech

With a population of over 1,000,000, Marrakesh is the second largest city in Morocco. Known as the 'Red City', it is situated near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, and is the capital of the region. Marrakesh has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and one of the busiest squares in the world, with many forms of entertainment during the day and traditional food stalls at night. The building of the city began in 1070, and today there is the original fortified city with an adjacent modern city. This is a favourite tourist area, the airport is five kilometres south of the city and there are good rail and road links with Casablanca and Rabat.