What are Morocco's most iconic sights?

When people picture Morocco, they picture Marrakech, and two sights anchor it. The Koutoubia minaret, rising above the palm trees and visible across the city, is the silhouette on every postcard. And Jemaa el-Fna, the great square at its feet, is the beating heart — orange-juice carts by day, then the nightly explosion of food stalls, musicians and storytellers. These two together are the most photographed, most recognisable images the country has.

In the south, the icons are landscape and cinema. The Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga are the Sahara most travellers came for. Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar near Ouarzazate, is so iconic that Hollywood keeps filming there — Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones. Crossing the river and climbing its towers at golden hour is one of those moments where the place looks even better than the films made it.

The north and the medinas give you the next set. Chefchaouen, the blue pearl of the Rif, is instantly recognisable from a single street photo. In Fes, the Chouara tanneries — that aerial patchwork of stone dye pits — and the dazzling zellij of the Bou Inania medersa are among the most distinctive images in the Islamic world. These are sights that say "Morocco" the instant you see them, with no caption needed.

I round the list out with two coastal and modern icons. The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, partly built over the Atlantic with one of the tallest minarets on earth, is breathtaking in scale and one of the few mosques non-Muslims can tour inside. And Essaouira’s ochre ramparts and blue fishing fleet, battered by Atlantic wind, give the country its iconic seaside face. Tie all of these together and you have, quite literally, the picture of Morocco.