When a tourist explore Marrakech, he or she won’t spontaneously think of the Medina’s wall even though it is right in front of our eyes and is most likely the one piece of the Medina you will see the most during your stay.
We thought we’d right a post about the holes in the Medina’s walls because it is the one thing we discuss every time we have passengers.
It seems a little contradictory for a fortress’ wall. Giving a ladder to your assailants doesn’t seem to make much sense. And yet there is a technical explanation for those holes: before scaffoldings were invented, long pieces of wood were put on the wall as it was being built for construction workers to step on them. The difference with today is that once they had removed the pieces of wood once construction had been completed, the inhabitants would block the holes, preventing the enemy from easily climbing up the wall.
Today, the Medina’s walls are mainly here to mark the limits of the Medina with other areas of the city. No invasion being feared anytime soon, they have left the holes apparent in the walls in order to put up scaffoldings easily whenever needed but is also home to a new eco-system: just look at all the birds who nest in there! They are mainly visible towards the end of the day just before the sunset.
So if you walk by the walls and hear people asking out loud if those are bullet holes or if the wall is unfinished, you will know what to answer, thanks to Marrakech insiders.
Marrakech Insiders, the best way to visit Marrakech
