Editing Marrakesh (section)

===Jemaa el-Fnaa===
[[File:Medina of Marrakesh-110423.jpg|thumb|[[Jemaa el-Fnaa]] square]]{{Main|Jemaa el-Fnaa}}
The [[Jemaa el-Fnaa]] is one of the best-known squares in Africa and is the centre of city activity and trade. It has been described as a "world-famous square", "a metaphorical urban icon, a bridge between the past and the present, the place where (spectacularized) Moroccan tradition encounters modernity."{{sfn|Pons|Crang|Travlou|2009|p=39}} It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.{{sfn|Harrison|2012|p=144}} The square's name has several possible meanings; the most plausible etymology endorsed by historians is that it meant "ruined mosque" or "mosque of annihilation", referring to the construction of a mosque within the square in the late 16th century that was left unfinished and fell into ruin.{{Sfn|Deverdun|1959|pp=590–593}}{{Sfn|Wilbaux|2001|p=263}}{{sfn|Salmon|2016|p=32}} The square was originally an open space for markets located on the east side of the ''Ksar el-Hajjar'', the main fortress and palace of the Almoravid dynasty who founded Marrakesh.{{Sfn|Deverdun|1959|p=143}}{{Sfn|Wilbaux|2001}}

Historically this square was used for public executions by rulers who sought to maintain their power by frightening the public. The square attracted dwellers from the surrounding desert and mountains to trade here, and stalls were raised in the square from early in its history. It drew tradesmen, snake charmers, dancing boys, and musicians playing [[Bagpipes|pipes]], [[tambourine]]s and [[African drum]]s.{{sfn|Barrows|2004|pp=76–78}} Today the square attracts people from diverse backgrounds and tourists from all around the world. Snake charmers, acrobats, magicians, mystics, musicians, monkey trainers, herb sellers, story-tellers, dentists, pickpockets, and entertainers in medieval garb still populate the square.{{sfn|Harrison|2012|p=144}}<ref name="Publishing2003">{{cite journal|title=Out|journal=Out: America's Best Selling Gay and Lesbian Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA74|access-date=16 October 2012|date=March 2003|publisher=Here Publishing|pages=73–75|issn=1062-7928|archive-date=26 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526013052/http://books.google.com/books?id=xWIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA74|url-status=live}}</ref>