Everything I bought in the Moroccan souks (with prices)
One of the top experiences in Morocco are the souks. Vibrant colours, whizzing scooters, donkeys pulling carts, and stalls filled to the brim with the most incredible artisan crafts. After falling in love with Moroccan souks, I’ve put together the ultimate guide for your first visit.
What is a souk in Morocco?
A souk is a market. It’s usually open air (outdoors). It’s filled with many stalls, each run by an individual selling a different type of goods. Some vendors specialise in a particular good while others collect from various artists across the country and sell them in a central location. In my experience in Marrakesh most of the men running the stalls were not the artists themselves.
My understanding from a few conversations with the craftsmen I did find was that the majority of the artists work in their workshops all day while someone sells the goods for them. Most stalls will display a photo of the artist at work. It’s much easier to meet the artists in their local villages if you travel out to the likes of the Atlas Mountains.
Where are the souks in Marrakech?
The souks in Marrakech are located around the central square, Jamaa el Fna Square. Although there are a few smaller souks and individual traders peppered throughout the streets south of the square, the majority are located to the north. Each souk has a name, but I wouldn’t recommend bothering with looking for them on Google Maps. Genuinely, I would say just head to the square and you’ll either come across a few on the way or you can easily navigate into them from the outer edges of the busy square.
What to buy in morocco souks
You can buy tons of goods, but some of the most common are:
Metal lanterns
Hand-woven rugs
Rattan woven baskets and decor
Spices
Paintings
Decorations
Clothing
Traditional slippers/shoes called babouches
Teapots
Trays
Jewelry
Leather goods
Ceramics
Important: Keep in mind that a lot of the souks close on Friday. It’s their religious day (much like Sunday in the United States), so this is when vendors take time off.
Marrakech souk price list
I visited in February of 2023, and these are the prices I paid. Generally aim to pay about half of whatever the starting price is. They’ll start high, and you can begin to haggle back from around 1/3 of their original offer. You’re both aiming to get to that middle point. They’ll go down in very small increments — sometimes just 5 or 10 dirhams.
Plan to pay in cash. However, stalls selling higher priced goods like lamps and rugs typically accommodated tourists with card machines.
Tips for bartering at Moroccan souks
Don’t show that you are desperately interested in something. They’ll try to keep the price higher, thinking that you’ll be willing to pay more since you want it so much.
If you’re getting multiple items from one vendor, bargain for a lower price for the items combined. I did this with my cedar wood mirror and table.
Keep a small amount of cash in your wallet or bag. They will watch you to see if you have more cash than you are letting on.
Once they’re wrapping the item up for you after agreeing on a price (they’ll cover it in newspaper and heavy duty tape to help you get it home safely) see if they’ll knock off a coin or two. Oftentimes I would barter to a price, go to dig the cash out, and let them know I was short on a 20 dirham coin I thought I’d had and I’d end up getting the item for $2 cheaper.
Do some research. Walk around and ask for prices of items you think you’ll want to get. Make up your mind to not buy anything straight away, unless you are really short on time. This will give you the clarity of mind to not feel pressured into a purchase, and will also allow you to compare the going rate from multiple vendors to get an idea of what stall you might want to buy from and about how much it’ll cost. This helped my peace of mind greatly as I’m not a math whiz on the spot so I had time to work out where to start and where I wanted to end up, without being under the watchful eye of the seller.
If you aren’t happy with the price, look elsewhere. You’ll be able to find the same style of goods at various souks, so don’t be afraid to walk away if the price isn’t right. Sometimes they’ll come down to your asking price as you’re walking away, but sometimes they won’t. I always left on good terms with the sellers, who weren’t rude at all about my saying no thank you.
This is an experience you just can’t miss while you’re in Marrakesh!
