known as the "Red City" or "Al Hamra," is a city with a population of 1,036,500 (as of 2006) in southwestern Morocco, near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The city is also called "Marrakech" in French and "Marrakesch" in German. The possible origin of its name could be from the Tamazight (Berber) words mur(n)akuch, which means Land of God. The name Morocco itself derives from Murrakush. This city is one of the largest cities in Morocco   and the capital of the Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz region. Marrakesh was known to early travelers as "Morocco City".
The atmospherein Marrakesh  is distinctly more African than that of the other Imperial cities, Fez, Rabat and Meknes. The setting of the city is stunning with ochre stucco buildings surrounded by the snow-peaked Atlas mountains.
Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities Marrakesh is divided into two distinct parts: the Medina, or the historical city, and the new city with two principal districts that are called: Gueliz and Hivernage. Gueliz is thus the European modern district of the town of Marrakech. Its name comes from the French word “église” some say, because the first monument that was built there was the Catholic Church Saints Martyrs. But some tend to affirm that the name is rather Berber and comes from the hill of Gueliz.
It is served by Ménara International Airport (RAK is the code for the city) and the train connections are available from the train station, which is situated in the center of the city, to Casablanca, Rabat and most domestic rail destinations in the country.