Marrakesh or Marrakech (Amazigh: Murakush), known as the "Red City", is a city / wilaya with a population of 1,036,500 (as of 2006), the capital of the mid-southwestern Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz (#11), near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Until a few decades ago, Morocco was known as Kingdom of Marrakesh by Arabs, Persians and Europeans. European names of Morocco, Marruecos, Maroc, Marokko..etc are directly derived from the Berber word Murakush. Marrakesh city has the largest traditional 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, as well as drug lords by day; By night, the square turns into food stalls, becoming a huge open-air restaurant with busy life that include the infamous Ladies of the Night (prostitutes). Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city (the medina) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz). It is served by Menara International Airport (RAK is the code for the airport) and a rail link to Casablanca and the north. bbtv broadbandtv marrakech marrakesh powersports powerdocs cities city world morocco nature travel tour tourism history ancient discovery destinations landmark culture civilization building structure background adventure ctw CTW