Marrakech Quiz: Morocco's Red City of Souks and Gardens

This Marrakech quiz explores Morocco's Red City, from the busy square of Jemaa el-Fnaa and the Koutoubia Mosque to the Majorelle Garden, the Atlas Mountains, riad courtyard houses, tagine stews and the Almoravid founders. Ten questions, 90 seconds.

Start Marrakech Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Basics
In which country is Marrakech?
Landmarks
What is the name of Marrakech's famous main square, full of food stalls and performers?
Nicknames
What nickname does Marrakech have because of its walls and buildings?
Geography
Which mountain range rises to the south of Marrakech?
Gardens
Which blue-painted garden was restored by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent?
Landmarks
Which mosque's 77-meter minaret is Marrakech's best-known landmark?
Homes
What is a traditional Moroccan house built around an inner courtyard called?
Food
Which slow-cooked Moroccan stew is named after the cone-shaped clay pot it is cooked in?
History
Which Berber dynasty founded Marrakech in the 1000s?
UNESCO
In which year did the Medina of Marrakech become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which country is Marrakech?
Answer: Morocco
Marrakech is one of Morocco's four imperial cities, along with Fez, Meknes and Rabat. The country's name in many languages comes from Marrakech.
Q2: What is the name of Marrakech's famous main square, full of food stalls and performers?
Answer: Jemaa el-Fnaa
Jemaa el-Fnaa fills with storytellers, musicians, snake charmers and food stalls at night. UNESCO recognized its living culture in 2001.
Q3: What nickname does Marrakech have because of its walls and buildings?
Answer: Red City
Marrakech's walls and many buildings are made of red-ochre clay. Chefchaouen is Morocco's Blue City, and Casablanca means white house.
Q4: Which mountain range rises to the south of Marrakech?
Answer: Atlas Mountains
The snow-capped High Atlas can be seen from the city on clear days. Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4,167 meters, is a popular trek from Marrakech.
Q5: Which blue-painted garden was restored by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent?
Answer: Majorelle Garden
French painter Jacques Majorelle created the garden, and Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it in 1980. Its bright blue is now called Majorelle blue.
Q6: Which mosque's 77-meter minaret is Marrakech's best-known landmark?
Answer: Koutoubia Mosque
The Koutoubia's minaret was completed in the 1100s and inspired the Giralda in Seville. Its name comes from the booksellers who once worked nearby.
Q7: What is a traditional Moroccan house built around an inner courtyard called?
Answer: Riad
Many riads in the medina have been turned into guesthouses, with fountains and gardens hidden behind plain outer walls. A hammam is a steam bath.
Q8: Which slow-cooked Moroccan stew is named after the cone-shaped clay pot it is cooked in?
Answer: Tagine
Tagines combine meat or vegetables with spices, dried fruit and olives. Harira is a soup, and pastilla is a sweet and savory pie.
Q9: Which Berber dynasty founded Marrakech in the 1000s?
Answer: Almoravids
The Almoravids founded Marrakech around 1070 and made it the capital of an empire stretching into Spain. The Ottomans never ruled Morocco.
Q10: In which year did the Medina of Marrakech become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Answer: 1985
The medina was listed in 1985 for its walls, gates, mosques and palaces. In September 2023, an earthquake in the Atlas Mountains damaged parts of the old city.

Marrakech Quiz – Into the Red City

Marrakech is one of the most atmospheric cities in Africa. Behind its red walls lies a maze of alleys, souks and courtyards, where spice sellers, leather workers and lantern makers have traded for centuries. In the evening, the great square of Jemaa el-Fnaa fills with smoke from food stalls and the sound of drums and storytellers.

The city was founded around 1070 by the Almoravids, a Berber dynasty from the Sahara, and became the capital of empires that reached across North Africa and into Spain. Later rulers added mosques, palaces and gardens, including the Koutoubia Mosque, whose tall minaret still guides visitors through the medina.

Marrakech is known for beautiful hidden spaces. Riads, traditional houses built around courtyards, hide fountains and orange trees behind plain walls. The Majorelle Garden, saved by Yves Saint Laurent, glows with cacti and bright blue buildings, and the Bahia Palace is decorated with carved wood and colorful tiles.

The city is also a gateway to the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert. In 2023, a strong earthquake struck the mountains nearby, causing great loss of life in rural villages and damaging parts of the medina, and rebuilding has been under way since.

This quiz covers Marrakech's history, landmarks, food and culture.

Exploring the medina is an adventure in itself. The souks are divided by trade, with separate areas for spices, carpets, metalwork, leather and dyed wool, and getting a little lost is part of the experience. Many visitors finish the day with a traditional hammam, a steam bath with a vigorous scrub, before dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking the square.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is ideal for travelers to Morocco and anyone fascinated by North African culture.

Why Marrakech is called the Red City
What happens in Jemaa el-Fnaa
Which landmarks and gardens are most famous
What riads and tagines are
Who founded Marrakech
When the medina became a UNESCO site

Quick Facts About Marrakech

Marrakech's city walls stretch for about 19 kilometers.
Mint tea, often called Moroccan whiskey, is served as a sign of hospitality.
Bargaining is expected in the souks.
The Saadian Tombs were sealed for centuries and rediscovered in 1917.
Marrakech's Menara Airport has a striking modern design inspired by Islamic patterns.
Many films and TV series have been shot in and around Marrakech.