© Hector Garcia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons The Babouche Souk
Souk Smata is walls of babouches, by the hundred pair and every colour - from the men's classic saffron yellow to embroidered tourist models. The easy souvenir: cheap, light and openly bargained. Check the stitching and the leather. The low end falls apart fast.
History & context
The babouche souk - Souk Smata - is one of the most colourful in the medina: walls of leather slippers lined up from floor to ceiling, sorted by shade. The saffron-yellow babouche worn by men is the classic model. Next to it come the pointed versions, the embroidered, the sequinned and the dyed-leather ones for every taste.
It is the easy Marrakech souvenir: light, foldable, cheap. You still need to aim for the right quality. The low end, badly stitched or synthetic, does not survive a few weeks. Fold the sole, pull on the stitching, smell the leather and bargain. The gap between the opening price and the real price is particularly wide here.
Walls of babouches from floor to ceiling: the simplest souvenir - if you look at the stitching before the colour.
What to see - the highlights
The walls of babouches
Pairs lined up from floor to ceiling, by colour: the most colourful sight of the leather souks.
From classic to embroidered
The traditional saffron-yellow babouche, the pointed models, and the full range of embroidered, sequinned or dyed-leather ones.
The smart souvenir
Light, foldable and cheap: the easy gift buy - as long as you aim for the right quality.
When to go
Full choice and daylight to compare colours.
In late day, some shops start shutting.
Covered souk.
Visitor tips
During the day, for the choice and the light.
Paying the first price. It is well above the real one.
- Fold the sole and pull on the stitching. The low end comes apart fast.
- Real leather babouches smell of leather. Synthetic does not - and they last less.
- Bargain hard. On babouches, the gap between opening price and real price is very wide.
Location & access
Inside the souk network, along Souk Semmarine and its side alleys. On foot only. Ask for 'Smata' or 'babouche souk'.
