12 Unwritten Rules of the Medina That Nobody Tells You

There is no sign at Bab Agnaou that lists the social rules of the Medina. No pamphlet at the airport. No orientation session at your riad. The unwritten rules of Marrakech are transmitted by experience, observation, and occasionally by a sharp word from a local when you have crossed a line. We have compiled twelve of them here so you do not have to learn the hard way.

Rule 1: Always greet before you transact. This is the most important rule and the one tourists violate most often. Walking into a shop and immediately asking 'how much is this?' is considered rude. Say salaam alaikum first. Accept the greeting in return. Ask how business is going. Compliment the shop. Then inquire about prices. This is not a waste of time. It is how commerce works in Morocco. Shopkeepers will give better prices to people who show them basic respect. Five seconds of pleasantry can save you 30 percent on your purchase.

Rule 2: Never enter a mosque unless you are Muslim. Morocco's mosques are closed to non-Muslims, with the single exception of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. Do not try to peek inside. Do not stand in the doorway and take photos of the interior. Do not walk on the prayer mats that sometimes extend outside the door during Friday prayers. This is not a suggestion. It is a firm cultural and legal boundary. If you want to see Islamic architecture up close, visit the Ben Youssef Medersa (a former school, not a mosque) or the Bahia Palace.

Rule 3: Remove your shoes when entering a home or riad. If you are invited into someone's home for tea or a meal, take your shoes off at the door. Most riads will have a shoe rack or area near the entrance. This applies even if the host does not explicitly ask. Look at the floor near the entrance. If there are shoes there, add yours to the collection. Socks or bare feet are both fine. The same applies if you step onto any carpet in a home setting.

Rule 4: Use your right hand. In Moroccan culture, the left hand is considered unclean. Eat with your right hand. Hand money and goods with your right hand. Accept tea with your right hand. Wave and gesture with your right hand. If you are left-handed, you will not offend anyone by writing or using tools with your left hand, but eating and handing things to people with your left hand will be noticed. When eating communal couscous or tagine from a shared plate, eat only from the section directly in front of you and use your right hand or a piece of bread as a scoop.

Rule 5: Photographs require consent. Not every moment in the Medina is yours to capture. As a baseline, do not photograph people without asking first. Some individuals will happily pose. Others will refuse. Both responses deserve respect. The performers in Jemaa el-Fna, including the snake charmers, the Gnaoua musicians, the monkey handlers, and the henna artists, expect payment for photographs. Ten to 20 MAD is standard. If you do not want to pay, do not point your camera at them. They will come after you for the money and they will be loud about it. Photographing the general scene of the square from a distance is fine. Zooming in on a specific person is not.

Rule 6: Dress modestly, especially in residential areas. The Medina is also a residential neighborhood. People live here. Children walk to school through these alleys. Women hang laundry on these rooftops. The main tourist corridors near Jemaa el-Fna are more tolerant of bare shoulders and short skirts, but once you venture into the residential derbs, you are in someone's neighborhood. Cover your shoulders and knees. Loose, lightweight clothing is more comfortable in the heat than tight, revealing clothing anyway. Men should also avoid going shirtless, even when it is 40 degrees. A thin cotton or linen shirt is the standard.

Rule 7: Tipping is expected but not extravagant. Moroccan service workers earn modest wages and tips are an important supplement. At a restaurant, 10 percent is appropriate for good service. Leave the tip in cash on the table even if you pay the bill by card. For a guide, 50 to 100 MAD per person for a half-day tour is standard. For a baggage porter at a riad, 10 to 20 MAD. For the person who helps you find your riad in the Medina, 10 to 20 MAD is fair if you asked for help. For the parking attendant watching your car, 5 to 10 MAD. Do not tip 100 MAD for a glass of mint tea. Over-tipping distorts the local economy and creates unrealistic expectations for the next tourist.

Rule 8: Haggling has rules. Bargaining in the souks is expected and even enjoyed, but there are boundaries. Never make a counter-offer on something you do not intend to buy. Starting a negotiation and then walking away after the seller has come down significantly to meet your price is considered dishonest. If you name a price and the seller accepts it, you are expected to buy at that price. Do not then try to negotiate further. Haggling should be friendly. Smile. Joke. Drink the tea they offer you. The moment you become aggressive or insulting about the merchandise, the interaction sours. A good negotiation feels like a game that both sides enjoy. If it stops feeling fun, politely excuse yourself.

Rule 9: Do not block the narrow passages. The alleys of the Medina are thoroughfares, not pedestrian plazas. People are trying to get to work, to school, to the mosque. Donkeys are carrying deliveries. Motorbikes are threading through gaps that seem impossibly small. When you hear 'balek!' shouted behind you, it means 'move aside.' Press yourself against the nearest wall immediately. Do not stop in the middle of a narrow alley to consult your phone or take a photo. Step into a doorway or a wider section first. At busy intersections near the souks, keep moving. Stopping to look around creates a traffic jam of humans, donkeys, and handcarts within seconds.

Rule 10: Accept hospitality graciously. If a shopkeeper offers you mint tea, accept it. You are not obligated to buy anything. The tea is a gesture of hospitality that is deeply ingrained in Moroccan culture. Refusing tea outright, especially if you have been browsing in the shop for several minutes, is mildly insulting. You can drink the tea, chat, and still leave without purchasing anything. Simply say shukran (thank you), compliment the tea, and explain that you are still looking around. No decent shopkeeper will take offense. If a Moroccan family invites you for a meal, this is a genuine honor and you should seriously consider accepting. Bring a small gift: pastries from a bakery, fruit, or sugar cones (available at any hanout for about 15 MAD) are traditional.

Rule 11: Respect Ramadan openly. If you visit during Ramadan, locals will be fasting from dawn to sunset. They cannot eat, drink, or smoke during daylight hours. You are not expected to fast, but eating, drinking, or smoking openly in the streets during fasting hours is disrespectful. Eat and drink inside your riad or in restaurants that cater to tourists (many stay open but keep their doors closed or curtained). Be prepared for altered opening hours. Many shops open later and close in the early afternoon. The Medina comes alive after iftar (the breaking of the fast at sunset) and the night markets are at their best during Ramadan evenings.

Rule 12: Learn to say no firmly but kindly. You will be approached. Constantly. For your first hour in the Medina, it can feel overwhelming. Touts, guides, henna artists, shopkeepers, children, everyone seems to want something from you. The mistake most tourists make is either being too polite (engaging in conversation, making eye contact, giving ambiguous responses) or too rude (ignoring people, being aggressive, acting offended). The sweet spot is a firm 'la shukran' (no thank you) delivered with a slight smile and zero break in your walking pace. Do not stop. Do not make extended eye contact. Do not explain why you are not interested. Just 'la shukran' and keep moving. After a day or two, the constant approaches stop registering and you will barely notice them.

These rules boil down to one principle: the Medina is not a tourist attraction. It is a community. The shops, the souks, the food stalls, the mosques, the hammams, the squares are all parts of a living city that has functioned continuously since the 11th century. The people who live and work here are not performers in your travel experience. They are going about their daily lives in a place where tourism happens to be a major industry. Treat the Medina the way you would want a stranger to treat your own neighborhood and you will be fine.

One more thing. Moroccan people are, as a culture, deeply generous and hospitable. For every tout who tries to hustle you, there are ten locals who will help you find your way, share their food, invite you for tea, and ask nothing in return. The rules above are guardrails, not barriers. Follow them, and the warmth of the Medina will reveal itself naturally.