The quake destroyed ancient sites in Marrakech, but spared the modern city

A small mosque at the heart of the Marrakech medina in the city’s historical quarter was a treasured place of prayer for the hundreds of traders working at the busy market outside.

Now, it’s off-limits.

The mosque, located in the corner of the famous Jemaa el-Fna square, had a beautiful tower which — once adorned with white triangle decoration — has almost entirely collapsed in the powerful earthquake that struck the area on Friday night.

The beautiful building is barely recognizable now. The ornate tower is almost entirely gone – just one bare stump of bricks sticking out of the rubble.

Outside the damaged mosque, local resident Zined Hatimi recalled the terror of Friday night.

“People were inside praying and they started running out. Nobody was staying inside,” the 53-year-old told CNN. Like many others, she was too scared to go home.

The medina district, a UNESCO World Heritage site, dates back centuries and is enclosed by walls built of red sandstone. Once defending the city from danger, large parts of these walls have been damaged in the quake. Long sections are showing deep cracks and parts have crumbled.

Many of the old buildings inside the medina have been damaged and some have collapsed entirely. On Sunday morning, large piles of rubble were dotted around the area, with stray cats scouring them for food. Some sections of the city were cordoned off with fencing, as the old building could be at risk of collapse.

Away from the historical medina, in many of the modern parts of Marrakech, the impact was barely noticeable. Cafes and restaurants reopened Sunday morning, catering to tourists who decided to stay.

Meanwhile, the worst destruction has been in isolated areas of the nearby Atlas Mountains, where many communities are difficult to access. Residents have described whole villages suffering damage and rescuers unable to retrieve bodies from rubble.