If you're into flea markets and architectural remnants of times gone by, Bab El Khemis is the place to be in Marrakech. "Bab" is the Arabic word for gate, and of the 12 gates in the 12-kilometre-long, pink 12th-century wall that surrounds Marrakech's old town, known as the medina, Bab el Khemis is one of the oldest.
Bab al Khemis, which means Thursday's Door in Arabic, is the entrance to the city's equivalent of a flea market and has been described as "one of the world's greatest mixes of junk and treasure".
In this Bab, visitors can stroll through and find old, huge wooden doors that once belonged to the rooms of a riad (town house in the medina). There are even monumental old wooden gates. Because of Morocco's rich cultural and handicraft heritage, there is an incredible variety of antique Moroccan doors and door styles available here, ranging from studded entrance doors, palatial brass doors, paneled interior wooden doors, glazed and mashrabiya doors, double courtyard doors to rustic Berber doors. So many doors and more than one way to dress them up!
But Bab el Kermis has much more to offer. As well as old doors, knockers, bolts and handles, the savvy flea market shopper will find hidden gems such as old French colonial Art Deco furniture, vintage mopeds and bicycles, old sewing machines, window grills, decorative arches, tables and chairs, rolls of antique carpets, Lloyd-loom chairs, exquisitely painted tables, plastic garden chairs, vintage bathroom and kitchen sinks and many other items in the chunky cut-corner style of Art Deco.
Bab el Khemis is by far the best and easiest place for door-to-door shopping. Tucked away to the north of the medina, it is not really on the tourist map, but in its noisy network of streets there is an unrivalled concentration of specialists who offer much more attractive prices. Remember, though, that this is Marrakech and you'll have to haggle a little to get a good deal.
Finally, if you want to go the extra mile, Souk El Khemis is the place to be. This souk offers an amazing mix of junk and treasures, from vintage furniture from most of the twentieth century to antique Moroccan carpets, jewellery and pottery. Souk El Khemis is located on the north-eastern edge of the medina, on the Bab El Khemis. Note that many shops are closed on Friday, the Muslim holy day.
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