The short answer
A halqa is the circle a crowd forms round a storyteller, musician or acrobat in Jemaa el-Fnaa. Storytelling in Darija is the oldest act in the square, and protecting it is why UNESCO proclaimed the square's culture a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001. If you stand and listen, put a coin in when the hat goes round.
In more detail
The circles form from late afternoon, as the food stalls go up. Each has its own centre: a storyteller, a band of Gnawa musicians or acrobats. Families out for the evening stop at one circle, then the next.
The UNESCO recognition followed a campaign by the writer Juan Goytisolo against a plan to build next to the square. It honours the living performance, not the buildings, and storytellers remain at the heart of it. A documentary, 'Al Halqa: the last storytellers', followed the tradition.
You won't understand the words unless you speak Darija. Stand at the edge for a few minutes all the same: the rhythm, the laughter and the way the storyteller works the crowd are the point.
Good to know
- Go from about an hour before sunset.
- Watch from the edge of the circle.
- Keep coins ready for the hat.
- Agree a price before photographing performers.