gulfnews : Marrakech: A Moroccan muse

Morocco's fabled ‘pink city' Marrakech has long been a magnet for travellers, whether they are backpackers or wealthy jet-setters. And chances are, the first stop for any visitor to the city is the mesmerising Djemaa el Fna market.

The largest souq in Morocco and one of the busiest traditional marketplaces in the entire African continent, The Square, as it is universally known, throbs with life - a colourful mass of tradesmen, dancers, musicians, acrobats, story-tellers and water-sellers. The heady scent of spices and the smell of cooking from myriad food stalls fill the air. An exotic cacophony of sounds form an aural backdrop. It's a mixture of magic and mayhem, the ancient, beautiful heart of the city.

A designer haven

Yet Marrakech is full of contrasts, and just a short taxi ride away is an oasis of calm and serenity, a hidden gem that is the polar opposite of the Djemaa el Fna's relentless bustle. The Majorelle Botanical Garden - former home of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent - is a walled wonderland that surrounds the extraordinary kasbah-style house where he lived and worked from 1980 until his death 14 years ago.