Medina

Surrounded by three mosques and four modern minarets, not to mention the Royal Palace, Place Hassan II links the medina to the ville nouvelle. The square forms the heart of the old town and has traditionally served as a meeting place. It is ringed with small cafés that are prime spots for people-watching. The main entrance to the medina is Bab er-Rouah (Gate of the Winds), which leads off from the square's southeast corner.

The medina is an industrious, bustling place; it's quite unlike the great medinas further south, as the Spaniards had a hand in some of the building in the 19th century, and most of its inhabitants, from the 16th century on, were refugees from what had been Muslim Spain, including a sizeable Jewish population who built the mellah (Jewish quarter) south of Place Hassan II. There are some 40 mosques within the medina, of which the Grande Mosquée and Saidi Mosque, both northeast of Place Hassan II, are the most impressive. As is customary, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosques.

Bab el-Okla is the oldest gate. This southeastern corner of the medina was historically an upmarket neighbourhood. Some of the fancy houses built by the city's residents in the 19th century still remain; one or two have been turned into carpet showrooms.