Sidi Ghanem is Marrakesh's design district — a former light industrial zone on the western edge of the city that has been colonised over the past two decades by furniture showrooms, concept stores, contemporary art galleries, and artisan workshops. Where factories once made basic goods for the domestic market, design studios now produce high-end furniture, ceramics, and textiles for the luxury Moroccan market and for export.
The transformation mirrors what happened to similar industrial zones in Hackney or Brooklyn — artists moved in first for cheap space, galleries followed, then furniture and design shops, then restaurants. The result is a quarter that feels distinctly unlike either the traditional medina or the French colonial Gueliz: wide factory streets, converted warehouse interiors, and a clientele of well-heeled Marrakshis and design tourists rather than backpackers or package tourists. Several of Morocco's most significant contemporary designers have their workshops here. It is also, logistically, a useful source for quality home goods if you are furnishing a riad.