Djemaa el-Fna (the square of the dead) is a huge square in the centre of Marraech. When we first arrived, it seemed no more than a convenient place to park the bus, but on our return, as the heat of the sun was diminishing, it took on it raison d’être. To begin with, we spotted the local dentist (not that I’d fancy requesting his services) with the pride of his implements spread in front of him and a virtual toothless grin at the passerby (perhaps he pulled his own teeth out!). The food stalls were beginning to prepare their gourmet offerings of tasty-looking tajines, barbequed kebabs, and some dishes we couldn’t begin to recognise. Some of the smells wafting from the square were enticing, but we would be eating later.

And then, as if by magic, as the sun began to set, the square began to fill. We saw groups forming around local storytellers. Unfortunately, we could not understand the tales, but the crowds stood transfixed as the performers spoke with feeling and intensity. One teller held a chameleon for added interest.

Snake charmers dragged writhing reptiles out of baskets and began their performances, rapidly sending assistants to prey on any pausing tourist. The colourfully dressed water carriers did seem to have a dual role; first to provide drinkable water to anyone who would pay, and second, to pose, for a few dirham for holiday snaps, but they weren’t the only photogenic individuals on the square! There were guys leading monkeys on chains who would happily let them sit on your shoulders for a payment or intimidate you with them if you resisted the photo call. Snakes were draped round your shoulder and I heard more cries of, "Hey my friend, are you from . . . ?" than I could count.

There were singers (or should I say wailers!), dancers, and a troupe of acrobats performing happily for a few centimes. Belly dancers seemed at home as they waddled around the square; the temporary henna tattooists were out in force, as were the fortune-tellers and the small market traders offering cheap trinkets or second hand English novels.

On top of the intense food smells, the noise level was intense. There were musicians by the score, and they competed with the cries of the traders and the excitement of the growing number of tourists.

After a time, we adjourned for a coffee on the nearby rooftop restaurant. We managed to get a seat overlooking the square, where the whole atmosphere of Djemaa el-Fna could be realised. We could virtually see food being cooked as the smoke from the griddles filled the square. There was hardly a trestle table unoccupied as the food stalls business thrived and the whole of the floor space was rammed with people.

This is truly an experience that all your senses can savour, and it really is hard to express in words the excitement that you will feel in the "square of the dead."

Despite its name -- Square of the Dead -- Place Djemaa el Fna is a very lively place. A traditional meeting place for peasants and merchants from the Sous region, the High Atlas and the South, it was where the caravansary stopped. And where the story tellers, singers, dancers, acrobats, snake charmers came to entertain them. Although the caravansary no longer exists, the entertainers, however, remained.

The square has become the heart of Marrakesh. Jerome and Jean Tharaud once said "the soul of the South is here, in the groups of the onlookers who, from morning to night, gather and disperse around the street performers with the fluidity of smoke." At dusk, this square fills with jugglers and story tellers reminiscent of the griots of the Southern Sahara, Berbers who have come down from the mountains, men from the desert and fellahs from the plain deeply engrossed in their songs and dances performed with tame snakes. At this time of day, when the peaks of the distant Atlas Mountains catch the last of the sunlight, the atmosphere is disquieting. This spellbinding spectacle will encourage you to linger on the terraces of the numerous surrounding cafés. In the mornings, this vast square, located on the edge of the souk district and bordered by shops and workshops, is crowded with fruit and spice sellers, guerrab with their leather water bottles and metal drinking cups, basket sellers, ironmongers and barbers. In the afternoons come the Gnaoua dancers descended from former Guinean slaves, musicians, storytellers, snake charmers and entertainers with performing monkeys. Before starting their performance, they establish their halqa (imaginary circle blessed by a saint).

All around the square are tea houses offering mint tea and local sweets, like the filo pastry filled with mixed nuts.

For the adventurous, a favourite amongst the Moroccans is goat's brain, broiled in lamb stock and eaten with your fingers! It's chewy, like gum, and not at all as awful as I'd imagined. Another delicacy here are the local escargots, not the garden variety or the fancy French ones, but simply boiled in salt water and spiced with some herbs. These are tiny snails that are delicate and tender-and the soup is especially delicious, a must-try!

A five-minute walk from the square is Marrakesh's highest minaret from which the muezzin calls for prayer three times a day.

It is not like anything I have seen. Formerly, each Moroccan city had a central square were criminals were punished and men could socialise after work day at dusk. It is a question why this tradition has survived in Djemaa al-Fna while it has disappeared in other places.

You can eat at one of the food-stalls. Each has a number so you can remember it next day. There are almost all type of food sellers: sheep heads, kebabs, orange juice, dried fruit sellers.

There are women making henna - don't worry, it will go off in two weeks if you wash as much as me.

There are the dentists, witch doctors to consult your troubles, singers, dancers, magicians, snake charmers and water sellers.

Beware that every photo you make here will cost you bucks. Especially beware the snake charmers who throw the snake on poor tourists and ask for a huge sum to take it back. If you want to eliminate the hassle, go up at one of the cafes around the square to watch the party.

This is the famous main square in the heart of Marrakesh's old city that is a gathering place for locals and travelers both day and night. The name translates as the "Assembly of the Dead", harking back to a time when sultans displayed the bodies of executed prisoners here. Nowadays the square is filled with vendors selling all sorts of food and drinks, and assorted locals trying to be subject matter for your photographs (for a price, of course). My nickname for the square is "the freak show". I say this in an endearing manner, for it is charming to see snake charmers, monkey handlers, and jugglers, comedians, musicians, as well as would-be doctors, dentists, preachers. These gatherings are not just a tourist attraction; there are plenty of Moroccans visiting daily as well.

There are two ways to experience the plaza. One is to plunge headfirst into the hustle and the bustle. You can pretend that every local is like a solar eclipse, trying not to look them directly in the eyes or you will be "blinded" by sales pitches. The sights, sounds and smells of the city really surround you here, and it can be a bit disconcerting at the beginning. One of my colleagues mentioned that a snake charmer draped a live snake on her husband, and the charmer would not remove the snake until the couple had paid a fair ransom! All this excitement over a photograph! Carry lots of small change if you want to pay for lots of action shots, or discreetly click away amongst the crowd. If you want to eat in the square, plunk yourself down at one of the open-air food stalls that look appealing to you, although it may be wise to dine here only if you have an iron stomach.

The other way to experience the square is to climb to one of the rooftop decks for some excellent panoramic views. Not only will you get an overall scope of the plaza and its players, but you will see some of the surrounding buildings like the Koutoubia minaret and the silhouettes of the Atlas Mountains. If you have a zoom lens, there are excellent opportunities to capture the scenes below and afar. Some of the rooftop terraces at the Place Djemaa al-Fna are the Cafe Glacier and the Restaurant Argana. The Cafe Glacier has perhaps the best vantage point and the admission is basically the price of a beverage, but they have really dirty plastic chairs.

We traveled through Morocco during Ramadan. One of the most unique experiences was wandering through the Place Djemaa al-Fna as the afternoon was fading into dusk. Locals are quietly seated at the outdoor tables, with bowls of food sitting before them. Remember, these people have not had any food nor drink since before sunrise, and they are all waiting patiently for the official signal. Once it is announced that the daily fasting period is over, the feasting begins.

The first thing to visit is the city square of Marrakech: Jemaa el Fna. I was slightly disappointed as it is not an example of great architectural beauty. But it’s the people that make it interesting, and its continuous day and night life. Perfomers of every kind put up their shows and continue until the food stalls start to move in, when the sun has set.

Jemaa el-Fna owes most of its fame to the large number of spectacles going on all around all the time. Snake charmers, singers, musicians, story tellers and healers attract a large audience.

At most tourist destination you will find ‘water sellers’. Generally speaking they have no intention of selling water to you, but they allow you to take a photo of them, at a cost, one dirham is sufficient. However I also met them in ‘tourist free zones’ where they perform their original task of providing cups of water from a lambskin carafe for a small fee.

And who had this strange idea that the square should be lined with orange juice stalls? Some 50 stalls cheek by jowl.

There are many cafes and restaurants around Jemaa., most of them have seating on the first floor with great views of the square. Relax and sip your mint tea.

As soon as the sun has set the juice sellers make place for the food stalls. All food is made fresh on the spot, meat, fish, vegetable dishes.

I don’t think it is ‘dangerous’ to eat here. The only precaution I take is that I never order meat or fish, just vegetables. Eating here is an excellent opportunity to meet Morrocans. I always carefully choose a place where there are no tourists. The moment you sit down people start asking questions. It’s often the beginning of a new friendship.