Morocco’s Marrakech welcomes back tourists after earthquake

By Ahmad Bentaher

RABAT, Morocco (AA) – Morocco’s ancient city of Marrakech has begun to welcome back tourists, more than a week after a deadly earthquake killed thousands in the North African country.

Some 3,000 people were killed and 6,125 injured when a magnitude 7 earthquake struck central Morocco, southwest of Marrakech on Sept. 8, according to official figures.

The tremor has caused damage to several tourist and historical sites in Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and other Moroccan cities.

Among the sites that sustained damage in Marrakech are the old city area known as Medina and its ancient walls and narrow alleyways, the world-famous Jemaa el-Fna square and marketplace, and the towering minarets of the Kotoubia.

But now groups of tourists have begun to return to the city following last week’s quake.

"Tourists now visit most of the city's historical monuments in large numbers," tour guide Mohammad al-Rouweisi told Anadolu.

He said security forces installed barriers around the damaged buildings and walls in Marrakech as safety measures for residents and tourists.

"Tourism recovery in the Red City [Marrakech] is now gaining momentum,” al-Rouweisi said. "The square of the Jemaa el-Fna has resumed its activity after a halt following the quake.”

The earthquake was the strongest to hit Morocco in a century, according to the country’s National Geophysical Institute.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar