Marrakech or Marrakesh (Berber: ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ Mrrakc or Murakuc, Arabic:مراكش Murrākuš, local pronunciation: Mərrakəš), known as the "Ochre City", with a population of over 1,000,000 inhabitants is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history. The city of Marrakesh is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, being also the third largest city in Morocco according to the 2004 census.
Like many Moroccan cities, the city of Marrakesh comprises both an old fortified city (the medina) and modern neighborhoods, the most prominent of which is Gueliz, for a total population of 794,620 and 1,063,415 in the metropolitan area (2004 census). It is served by Ménara International Airport(IATA code: RAK) and a rail link to Casablanca and the north.
Marrakesh has the largest traditional Berber market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna.The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers and musicians. By night food stalls open in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant.
The city is spelled Merrakec with the Berber Latin alphabet, Marrakech in French, Marraquech in Spanish, Marrakech in Portuguese, Marrakesch in German and Marakeş in Turkish. In English, both the spelling Marrakech andMarrakesh are used, though the latter is more common. The probable origin of its name is from the Berber (Amazigh) words mur (n) akush (ⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⴰⴽⵓⵛ), which means "Land of God".[citation needed] (The word mur is used now in Berber mostly in the feminine form tamurt). The same word "mur" appears inMauretania, the North African kingdom from antiquity, although the link remains controversial as this name might also originate from μαύρος mavros, theancient Greek word for black. In 2004 they had 909,000 people
