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Life Returns Gradually to Normal at ‘Jemaa el-Fnaa’ Square in Marrakesh

A general view of Marrakesh's famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, June 25, 2012. Reuters/File Photo
A general view of Marrakesh's famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, June 25, 2012. Reuters/File Photo
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Life Returns Gradually to Normal at ‘Jemaa el-Fnaa’ Square in Marrakesh

A general view of Marrakesh's famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, June 25, 2012. Reuters/File Photo
A general view of Marrakesh's famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, June 25, 2012. Reuters/File Photo

Wandering in the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square these days can prompt mixed feelings: fatigue after a health crisis that lasted for months and affected tourism worldwide, and cautious optimism about the potential end of the pandemic.

This popular square has become a major tourism hub in Marrakesh over the past decades.

A visit to the Red City for tourism and relaxation could not be complete without hitting the square, not only to enjoy its restaurants, storytellers, and snake charmers, but also to explore the old city, old souks such as ‘Souk Samarin’, and the historic landmarks including the ‘Bin Youssef School’, the Museum of Marrakesh, and ‘Almoravid Qubba’.

Following the global coronavirus outbreak, and the lockdowns and restrictions that paralyzed local travel and closed the borders, the square missed many of its visitors for the first time since its establishment. However, it seems everything is recovering these days, and so does the square, which is gradually reoffering its visitors relaxation, storytelling, good food, skilled craftsmen, heritage, and art.

Before the emergence of the virus two years ago, Jemaa el-Fnaa was the only square in Morocco, and maybe in the world, in which life wasn’t affected by cold winters or scorching summer heats, the World Cup or Olympics, or local and international events. Only the pandemic, and the restrictions the authorities applied to control the spread of the virus, forced Jemaa el-Fnaa to change its habits and give up its vivid ambiances.

The tourism turnout in Marrakesh, and the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, didn’t return to pre-COVID levels yet. The pandemic heavily affected the industry, but the square’s visitors believe that this slow economic activity and the limited flow of tourists are much better than the harsh lockdowns. The most important thing now is that the world manages to overcome the virus, so the square can fully recover and lure more tourists from Morocco and abroad.

The beginning of the economic and tourism recovery in the square and the city has coincided with Ramadan.

Wandering in the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square during the holy month offers a unique experience with the Ramadan-related traditions and rituals that people can see across Marrakesh, considered among the top tourism destinations for people from various cultures.

The Holy Month of Ramadan forces Moroccans to change many of their daily habits, however, foreigners can still enjoy the city committed, as a global touristic destination, to meeting the expectations of its visitors of various religions, origins, and cultural backgrounds. Many restaurants and coffee shops keep their doors open during Ramadan, and Jemaa el-Fnaa Square keeps providing its daily services and entertaining activities in the same rhythm.

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Varieties

Armenia's Underground Salt Clinic at Center of Alternative Medicine Debate

Speleotherapy has been practiced for decades in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union © KAREN MINASYAN / AFP
Speleotherapy has been practiced for decades in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union © KAREN MINASYAN / AFP
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Armenia's Underground Salt Clinic at Center of Alternative Medicine Debate

Speleotherapy has been practiced for decades in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union © KAREN MINASYAN / AFP
Speleotherapy has been practiced for decades in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union © KAREN MINASYAN / AFP

A mining cage drops deep beneath the Armenian capital, carrying asthma patients in helmets down into a salt cave clinic -- an alternative treatment center whose future is now at risk.

State funding for the speleotherapy center in the Avan salt mine was recently cut as the small Caucasus nation rolls out a new universal healthcare system that does not cover alternative medicine.

The fate of the facility is a snapshot of a global debate over the effectiveness and role of alternative treatments in modern healthcare, a particularly pressing issue in developing countries, AFP said.

Speleotherapy -- where patients spend several hours a day in caves breathing mineral-rich underground air believed to reduce respiratory irritation -- has been practiced for decades in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

At the bottom of the Avan salt mine, a dim tunnel carved from grey rock salt leads to the Soviet-era center.

"We are 235 meters (770 feet) underground, and yet this is a hospital," doctor Anush Voskanyan said as she guided visitors into a vast chamber illuminated by rows of electric lamps.

Opened in 1987 inside a former mine, the center spans about 4,000 square meters of tunnels converted into treatment and recreation areas. For decades, patients received therapy for free under the state's healthcare program.

But in 2019, Armenia's health ministry stopped financing the clinic, arguing that speleotherapy does not meet evidence-based medical standards required for public funding.

Annual patient numbers dropped from more than 300 to around 50.

"We struggle to pay salaries and cannot renew equipment that has not been replaced since opening," clinic director Gurgen Hakobyan told AFP, saying its future was "uncertain."

- Global strategy -

Globally, supporters of traditional or complementary remedies say they have been overlooked by Western medicine.

The World Health Organization's members have called for a global effort to build a solid evidence base, regulate practitioners and integrate treatments that are proven safe and effective.

Supporters of speleotherapy say the cave environment, free from dust and allergens and with a constant temperature of around 19-20C, helps ease symptoms of asthma and allergies.

Voskanyan, the doctor, said she had seen children make full recoveries after treatment.

But the scientific evidence remains limited.

"Since 1985, only two dissertations have been written on the subject," said Lamara Manukyan, chair of the Armenian Association of Internal Medicine.

"We lack statistics and large-scale research."

She said speleotherapy "helps conventional medicine ease a patient's condition" and should be considered a "complementary therapy rather than a standalone treatment."

- 'Salvation' -

Armenia's health ministry said its decision to stop the clinic's funding reflects broader healthcare priorities as the country transitions toward universal medical insurance.

"At this stage, priority is given to diseases with high mortality rates such as cancer and cardiovascular illnesses," ministry spokeswoman Mariam Tsatryan told AFP.

"Alternative and wellness treatments cannot be included in insurance coverage."

Many of the centers's patients -- and its doctors -- lament the decision to strip funding.

Armen Stepanyan, a 63-year-old engineer from Russia's Siberian city of Kemerovo, has travelled to Yerevan annually for more than a decade after developing severe asthma.

"I tried everything -- sanatoriums, treatments -- nothing helped," he said. "Here I felt improvement after the first course."

Supporters argue the center's significance extends beyond medicine.

Manukyan, the chair of the internal medicine association, described it as part of Armenia's tradition of natural therapies, including mineral springs and spa resorts.

"There is no reason to dismantle an existing structure and lose a valuable tradition."

The government, which holds a stake in the center, is trying to privatize its shares, raising hopes that private investment could preserve or repurpose it as a research or medical tourism center.

"It would be really sad if the clinic had to shut down because it simply ran out of funding," said Stepanyan, the patient.

"I realized this was my salvation. This is the only place where I see real results."

Varieties

Hiker's Dog Lost in New Zealand Forest Rescued by Helicopter after Strangers Fund Search

In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly peers out of the door of a helicopter after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)
In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly peers out of the door of a helicopter after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)
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Hiker's Dog Lost in New Zealand Forest Rescued by Helicopter after Strangers Fund Search

In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly peers out of the door of a helicopter after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)
In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly peers out of the door of a helicopter after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)

When a hiker fell from a 55-meter (180-foot) waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which couldn't be found.

After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite pet and owner.

A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. She was airlifted on March 24 but they were forced to leave without her pet, The Associated Press reported.

Molly was bedraggled and hungry when she was found Tuesday, just a few meters from the spot where the hiker had been lucky to survive.

“I contacted her in hospital and said I’d go for a look for it,” said Matt Newton, the owner-operator of Precision Helicopters New Zealand, which is based at Hokitika Gorge near the Arahura River where Molly went missing. “I went and looked for the dog several times and no avail.”

Unwilling to give up, Newton and his family launched a fundraiser to pay for more flying hours and advanced search gear. Offers of help and donations poured in, with strangers pledging more than 11,000 New Zealand dollars ($6,300) for a search.

It was enough to fund three more hours in a helicopter using thermal imaging equipment. On Tuesday, Newton took to the skies with a veterinary nurse, volunteer searchers and a dog named Bingo in a renewed search for Molly.

“We struck jackpot within about an hour,” he said. “As we made our way up the river, we could see the dog in the thermal and then we could visually see it.”

There had been no sign of Molly at the waterfall when Newton previously searched the spot, he said. It wasn’t clear if the dog had also fallen from the waterfall or if she had eventually made her way to the spot where her injured owner landed.

The helicopter dropped low enough for a volunteer to disembark with the rescue dog Bingo to help coax Molly to safety and keep her calm.

Newton thought the dog had survived by eating feral animals during her week in the wilderness.

“She knew what we were up to, I think,” he said. “She behaved real well. She didn’t run away and she was pleased to be rescued.”

The dog was in “surprisingly good condition,” the pilot said. He sent word back to the helicopter base, where other volunteers waited to take turns in the search. “Instead we just had a big barbecue and all had a cuddle with Molly."

Hours after the dog’s rescue, her owner, still battered from her fall, arrived for a tearful reunion.

“I think that’ll speed up her healing process somewhat,” Newton said. “Having your dog back, that’s for sure.”

Varieties

Germany Halts Rescue Efforts for Stranded Whale

Seagulls fly above a humpback whale that managed to free itself overnight from a sandbank in shallow waters of Wismar Bay in the Baltic Sea, near Wismar, Germany March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Seagulls fly above a humpback whale that managed to free itself overnight from a sandbank in shallow waters of Wismar Bay in the Baltic Sea, near Wismar, Germany March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
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Germany Halts Rescue Efforts for Stranded Whale

Seagulls fly above a humpback whale that managed to free itself overnight from a sandbank in shallow waters of Wismar Bay in the Baltic Sea, near Wismar, Germany March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Seagulls fly above a humpback whale that managed to free itself overnight from a sandbank in shallow waters of Wismar Bay in the Baltic Sea, near Wismar, Germany March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Experts said Wednesday they were halting rescue efforts for a humpback whale struggling in shallow waters off the German coast and had given up hope for its survival.

The 13.5-metre (44-foot) animal has been floundering off Germany's Baltic Sea coast for more than a week, having first been spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23 near the city of Luebeck.

The creature managed to free itself but then became stuck again several more times near the city of Wismar. Coverage of its struggle for survival has gripped much of the German public.

Experts had hoped the whale's odyssey would end with it finding its way back to its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean, AFP reported.

But on Wednesday scientist Burkard Baschek, who had taken part in the rescue efforts, told reporters: "We are convinced that the animal is going to die" near Wismar.

The whale's ordeal had severely weakened it, its breathing had become "very, very irregular" and it was exhibiting "virtually no" reaction to the presence of human beings, he added.

The chances of it freeing itself again were "very low" and any further rescue efforts would therefore "be pure animal cruelty".

Since it was spotted last week the whale had prompted a large-scale rescue operation involving firefighters, scientists and the maritime police.

"Now we have the task of giving him some peace," said Till Backhaus, the environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The animal will now "have to depart this life," he said.

An exclusion zone of 500 metres will be put in place around the whale in order to avoid disturbing it.

The authorities have ruled out putting the whale to sleep, saying this would be too dangerous both for the whale itself and those taking part in the operation.

In the case of its death, Backhaus said it would be transferred ashore for investigations to determine the cause of death.