Medina of Marrakesh

Marrakesh has been drawing crowds since the Almoravids founded it in 1070–72. Their era left the Koutoubiya Mosque, the Kasbah and monumental gates; later dynasties added the Badiâ Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Saadian Tombs. And then there is Jamaâ El Fna square, an open-air theatre of storytellers, musicians and food stalls that has never gone dark. The medina, whose influence once stretched from North Africa to Andalusia, was inscribed by UNESCO in 1985.