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History and heritage

Artists who fell for Morocco

81 writers, painters, musicians and filmmakers who came to Morocco and stayed, wrote or made something here, 28 of them from the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Tap a town on the map.

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81 artists, all of them

Tangier: 20TangierMarrakech: 18MarrakechFez: 8FezEssaouira: 7EssaouiraRabat: 6RabatCasablanca: 5CasablancaTetouan: 4TetouanOuarzazate: 4OuarzazateAsilah: 3AsilahLarache: 2Aghmat: 1Meknes: 1Tarfaya: 1Oujda: 1Aït Benhaddou: 1Zagora: 1

Where you can still feel them

  • Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech: The painter's garden and blue studio, later owned by Saint Laurent and Bergé; YSL's ashes were scattered here. source
  • Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech, Marrakech: Museum of the designer's work, next to the Majorelle Garden. source
  • La Mamounia, Marrakech: Hotel where Churchill stayed (a bar bears his name), Hitchcock filmed and McCartney wrote 'Mamunia'. source
  • Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech: The minaret Churchill painted in 1943. source
  • Tangier American Legation (Paul Bowles Wing), Tangier: Three rooms devoted to Paul Bowles since 2010. source
  • Larache Christian Cemetery, Larache: Genet's grave; Goytisolo lies beside him. source
  • Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Museum, Tarfaya: Museum next to the old Cape Juby airfield (town coordinates). source
  • Grave of al-Mu'tamid, Aghmat: The poet-king's grave on the outskirts of Aghmat (approximate coordinates). source
  • Bab Mahrouk, Fez: City gate where Ibn al-Khatib was buried (approximate coordinates). source
  • University of al-Qarawiyyin, Fez: Where Leo Africanus studied. source
  • Royal Theatre of Rabat, Rabat: Zaha Hadid's theatre on the Bou Regreg, opened 2026 (approximate coordinates). source
  • Théâtre Mohammed V, Rabat: Where Umm Kulthum sang in March 1968 (approximate coordinates). source
  • Atlas Studios, Ouarzazate: Film studio 5 km west of Ouarzazate; sets from many films remain (approximate coordinates). source
  • Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate province: Fortified village used for Oedipus Rex (1967). source
  • Gardens named after Mahmoud Darwish and Tayeb Salih, Asilah: A series of Asilah gardens named after Arab and African writers (town coordinates). source
  • Diabat, Essaouira: Village of Hendrix legends; biographers say he never went there. source

Checked 2026-11-15. Every artist links to its sources. Dots are placed by town.

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