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The Medina

A city inside a city

What a medina is, why GPS fails, why streets look sketchy, and how centuries-old infrastructure shapes daily life.

16 observations

  1. 01What is a medina?The Arabic word for "city."In Morocco, it refers to the old walled city — the original urban centre, built before cars, with narrow streets, mosques, markets, and residential quarters packed inside defensive walls. Every major Moroccan city has on…→
  2. 02Why is my GPS wrong?High walls bounce GPS signals — errors of 10 to 30 metres.→
  3. 03What does "Balak!" mean?Move aside.→
  4. 04Why does the bathroom smell?Dry drain traps. Run the tap for ten seconds.→
  5. 05Why is the riad so hard to find?The door is designed to blend into the wall.→
  6. 06Why is it so cold inside in winter?Thermal mass works both ways.→
  7. 07Why can you hear everything?The courtyard is a vertical amphitheatre.→
  8. 08Why are the beds so hard?That's how they're meant to feel in Morocco.→
  9. 09Why are there cockroaches in a clean riad?Climate and infrastructure, not hygiene.→
  10. 10Why is it so loud at 4:30am?The call to prayer (Fajr) from minarets.→
  11. 11What was the 2023 earthquake?Magnitude 6.8, 8 September 2023.→
  12. 12Why are the walls stained or bubbling?Efflorescence — mineral salts pushed to the surface by moisture.→
  13. 13Why are the floors stained or uneven?Handmade tiles are porous by nature.→
  14. 14Why does the wifi barely work?Thick walls block the signal.→
  15. 15Why does the electricity flicker?Old wiring and shared circuits.→
  16. 16Why are there cats everywhere?They're the city's pest control.→