Morocco

The labyrinthine heart of Marrakech, the medina is a sensory overload of souks, craftsmen's workshops, mosques, and the legendary Djemaa el-Fna square where storytellers, acrobats, and food stalls have gathered since the 11th century. The Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, and Koutoubia Mosque are among the finest examples of Moroccan architecture in the world.

The world's largest car-free urban area and one of the best-preserved medieval cities on earth, Fes's old medina has over 9,400 streets and alleyways, 6,000 registered historical monuments, and the world's oldest continuously operating university, founded in 859 AD. The Chouara tannery, where leather has been processed by hand in the same stone vats for 900 years, is one of the world's most extraordinary working sights.

The most dramatic dune field in the Moroccan Sahara, Erg Chebbi's orange dunes rise to 150 metres and glow brilliant red at sunset and deep amber at dawn. Private desert camps among the dunes — with solar power, proper beds, and Berber cuisine under a sky of a billion stars — represent one of North Africa's finest travel experiences.

The 'Blue City' of the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen's labyrinth of streets, stairways, and buildings are painted in every shade of blue and white, creating a visual world unlike any other in Morocco. Founded in 1471 and only opened to non-Muslims in the 20th century, it retains an authenticity that the larger imperial cities have largely lost.

The most famous and best-preserved ksar (fortified village) in Morocco, Aït Benhaddou's red earth towers and ramparts have been used as the setting for dozens of major films and television series including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones. Rising above the Ounila River valley in the High Atlas foothills, it is one of the most photographed buildings in Africa.

Listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Jemaa el-Fna is the living heart of Marrakech — a vast open square that transforms through the day from a market of orange-juice sellers and herbalists into a theatrical explosion of musicians, fire-eaters, and dozens of food stalls producing clouds of fragrant smoke after dark.