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Djemaa el Fna (Arabic: جامع الفناء jâmiʻ al-fanâʼ) is a square and market place in Marrakesh’s medina quarter (old city). The origin of its name remains unknown: it means Assembly of the dead in Arabic, but as the word djemaa also means mosque in Arabic, it could also mean Place of the Vanished Mosque, in reference to a destroyed Almoravid mosque, or it could mean The Mosque of Eternity or The Mosque of Annihilation or perhaps The Mosque at the End of the World.[1]

Contents
1 The square
2 Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
3 Trivia
4 References
5 External links
 

  The square
The place remains the main square of Marrakesh, used equally by locals and tourists. During the day it is predominantly occupied by orange juice stalls, youths with chained Barbary apes, water sellers in colourful costumes with traditional leather water-bags and brass cups, and snake charmers who will pose for photographs for tourists[2]. As the day progresses the entertainments on offer change: the snake charmers depart, and in the afternoon and evening the square becomes more crowded, with Chleuh dancing-boys (it would be against custom for girls to provide such an entertainment), story-tellers (telling their tales in Berber or Arabic, to an audience of appreciative locals), magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines. As dark descends the square fills with dozens of food-stalls, and the crowds are at their height.

 
Steam rises from food stallsThe square is edged along one side by the Marrakesh souk, the traditional North African markets which service both the common daily needs of the people of the city, and the tourist trade. On other sides are cafe terraces to escape from the noise and confusion down in the square, and on yet other sides are hotels and gardens. Narrow streets lead into the alleys of the medina quarter, the old city. The photograph illustrating this article shows the entrance to the souk at the left, cafes in the centre, and the entrance to the medina via the Street of the Olive (derb al zitoun) on the right.

Once a bus station, the place was closed to traffic in the early 2000s. The authorities are well aware of its importance to the tourist trade, and a strong but discreet police presence ensures the safety of visitors.

  Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
The idea for the UNESCO project Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity came from people concerned about the Djemaa el Fna. The locality is known for its active concentration of traditional activities by storytellers, musicians and performers, but it was threatened by economic development pressures. In fighting for the protection of traditions, the residents called for action on an international level to recognize the need for the protection of such places — termed “cultural spaces” — and other popular and traditional forms of cultural expression.[3] UNESCO encourages communities to identify, document, protect, promote and revitalize such heritage. The UNESCO label of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity aims to raise awareness about the importance of oral and intangible heritage as an essential component of cultural diversity.

“ The spectacle of Djemaa el Fna is repeated daily and each day it is different. Everything changes – voices, sounds, gestures, the public which sees, listens, smells, tastes, touches. The oral tradition is framed by one much vaster – that we can call intangible. The Square, as a physical space, shelters a rich oral and intangible tradition. ”
—Juan Goytisolo, in a speech delivered at the opening meeting for the First Proclamation, 15 May 2001[4]
 

  Trivia
The square was featured in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).
An interesting account of the place in the 1970s can be seen in Esther Freud’s novel Hideous Kinky.
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant recorded some songs and their DVD “No Quarter – Unledded” on this place
Juan Goytisolo lives in Marrakesh and has had an important role in the categorisation of Djemaa el Fna as a Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
  References
^ The Mosque at the End of the World, Tahir Shah, BBC Radio 3, 10 April 2010
^ http://lifeadventurestariq.blogspot.com/2010/04/mysteries-of-marrakech-morocco.html
^ “Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003″. UNESCO. http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=17716&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
^ Juan Goytisolo (2001-05-15). “Defending Threatened Cultures”. http://www.unesco.org/bpi/intangible_heritage/goytisoloe.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-07. 
The Rough Guide To Morocco, 2001. Rough Guide Publishing ISBN 1-85828-601-8