Casablanca Old Medina

The Old Medina of Casablanca, Morocco, is the oldest part of the city, a compact walled quarter beside the port, north of Place des Nations Unies and entered through gates such as Bab Marrakech and along Boulevard des Almohades. It is smaller and less touristed than the medinas of Fez or Marrakech, which gives it a lived-in character: residents shop for bread, spices, secondhand goods, cheap clothing and household items in narrow lanes where whitewashed houses with blue shutters sit close together. Fruit and vegetable stalls, tiny cafes, barbers and craftsmen's workshops line the main passages, and the call to prayer echoes from small neighbourhood mosques. The quarter dates mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, rebuilt around the Portuguese-era settlement of Anfa, and later French colonial planners largely left it intact while building the modern city around it. Visitors usually need one to two hours to walk the main lanes, passing the Sqala bastion and ramparts at the seaward edge and the nearby Rick's Café. The best vantage points are the ramparts, which look down over the roofs and the port cranes. Mornings are the most pleasant time, when shops are opening and the light is soft; by late afternoon the lanes become crowded with local shoppers. Friday midday sees many shops close for prayers. Signage is limited, so a simple route is to enter at Bab Marrakech, follow the central lanes toward the sea, and exit near the Sqala. Vendors are generally less insistent than in larger medinas, but prices for souvenirs are negotiable. Visitors should keep valuables secure in busy sections and carry small change in dirhams.