Moroccan lanterns guide: buying in Marrakech's lantern quarter
Where do you buy Moroccan lanterns in Marrakech and what should they cost?
The Mouassine and Ziadine quarters of the northern medina are the main lantern districts. A small hanging lantern: 80–200 MAD. A medium table lantern: 150–400 MAD. Large statement lanterns: 400–1,000 MAD and above. Buy from the metalwork shops in Haddadine for better prices than the tourist-facing lantern display shops.
The city of lanterns
After dark, Marrakech does something no other city does quite the same way: it glows. Not with neon or fluorescent lighting but with the warm, patterned light of hundreds of thousands of pierced metal lanterns — hanging from restaurant ceilings, mounted above riad doorways, swinging from souk stall hooks, lighting the narrow alleys in kaleidoscopic patterns. The lantern is to Marrakech what the tile is to Fes: its most characteristic and exportable visual statement.
Most of those lanterns are made in the medina, in the Mouassine and Ziadine quarters where the copper and brass workers have their workshops. They range from small tea-light holders the size of a fist to elaborate statement pieces 80cm tall that sell to hotels for 3,000 MAD apiece. This guide explains the lantern market in practical terms: what the different types are, what drives price and quality, where to buy, and — the question that stops many visitors — how to get them home in one piece.
Lantern types and materials
Copper lanterns
The most common and most traditionally Moroccan type. Copper sheeting is hand-cut into panels, pierced with geometric patterns (typically Moroccan star motifs, arabesque, or simple grid designs), and assembled into a body with a hinged door for the candle. The surface is left natural (warm, slightly variable colour) or polished (brighter gold tone). Over time, unpainted copper oxidises to a deeper, richer colour that most people find more attractive than the shiny new version.
Weight consideration: Copper is heavy. A medium hanging lantern in copper weighs 500g–1kg. For luggage planning, this matters.
Price range: Small copper lanterns (15–20cm): 80–180 MAD. Medium (25–35cm): 200–500 MAD. Large (50cm+): 500–2,000 MAD depending on complexity of piercing.
Brass lanterns
Similar construction to copper but using a yellow-toned brass alloy. Brass is slightly harder and produces a different, warmer colour that tends to stay brighter without polishing. The distinction between copper and brass is clearest in person — brass is yellower; copper is redder-orange.
Price range: Similar to copper, though some brass pieces are slightly more expensive due to material cost.
Coloured glass lanterns
A category of lanterns that uses coloured glass panels (red, green, blue, amber) set in a metal (brass or copper) frame. These produce coloured light patterns rather than the white-light geometric shadows of the pierced metal versions. They are more fragile to transport but produce dramatic visual effects. The style is associated with Moroccan restaurants and riad salons.
Quality check: Genuine coloured glass (not coloured plastic). Tap the panel lightly — glass rings; plastic thuds. The metal frame should be soldered cleanly with no visible gaps.
Price range: Small coloured glass lanterns: 120–250 MAD. Medium table lanterns: 300–600 MAD.
Ceramic lanterns
A less common but very beautiful type using pierced clay bodies (often white or off-white, sometimes painted) with a metal or ceramic top. The light pattern from a ceramic lantern is softer and more diffuse than metalwork versions. Made in the pottery districts rather than the metalwork quarters.
Price range: 150–500 MAD depending on size and decoration.
Candle vs electric: the practical choice
Traditional Moroccan lanterns are designed for candles — typically tea-light candles or taper candles depending on the lantern’s internal size. This is the authentic usage and produces the warmest, most atmospheric light.
The problem: Flying home with open-flame lighting creates logistics issues, and tea-light candles are not always available in the right size internationally.
The solution: Many Marrakech lantern shops now sell electric conversion kits — a battery-powered LED light source that fits inside standard lanterns and produces a warm-toned light (choose 2700K colour temperature, not the cool white 5000K that looks harsh in a Moroccan lantern). Some lanterns are pre-wired for mains electricity, though these need a converter for European/UK/US use.
Recommendation: Buy a candle lantern for its authentic form, and buy a battery LED kit for practical use. Test the LED inside the lantern before purchasing both — the light pattern should fill the entire body without dark spots.
Where to buy in Marrakech
Mouassine quarter (best selection)
The Mouassine neighbourhood — centred on the Mouassine Mosque and fountain, accessible via Rue Mouassine from Souk Semmarine — is the highest concentration of lantern shops in the medina. The shops here display hundreds of hanging lanterns in doorways and from overhead hooks, creating the photogenic “lantern alley” effect that features in most Marrakech travel photography.
What you find: Full range from tourist-grade small lanterns to premium hand-crafted statement pieces. The display shops here charge more than the metalwork workshops further north, but selection is better and many shops have English-speaking staff.
Typical prices in Mouassine: Add approximately 20–30% to the Haddadine benchmark prices below — you are paying for curation and tourist accessibility.
Ziadine quarter
Adjacent to Mouassine, slightly less visited, with a similar range of lantern shops. Worth exploring after Mouassine to compare prices — competition between the two areas keeps prices from diverging too dramatically.
Souk Haddadine (best prices)
The metalwork quarter in the northern medina, closer to Bab Debbagh and the tanneries, is where the actual fabrication happens. The blacksmiths and coppersmiths here are primarily serving local customers and trade buyers — they are not set up as tourist shops. But they sell to individual visitors, prices are lower (no tourist markup), and you may actually watch the lanterns being made.
The navigational challenge is finding Haddadine, which requires either a guide or a confident approach to navigating without landmarks. Ask at your riad for directions or hire a brief guiding service — it’s worth the effort for the price difference on larger purchases.
Typical prices in Haddadine: 20–35% lower than Mouassine for comparable quality. A medium hanging lantern at 400 MAD in Mouassine: 280–320 MAD in Haddadine.
Fixed-price artisan shops
Several concept stores in and around the Mouassine area sell lanterns at fixed prices with quality guarantees. Notable:
Moro (near Mouassine Fountain) — contemporary Moroccan design including a curated lantern selection. Fixed prices, quality materials. Not cheap, but reliable.
Ensemble Artisanal (near Bab Nkob, outside the medina proper) — government-operated fixed-price artisan market covering all craft categories including metalwork. Useful as a price benchmark.
How to assess lantern quality
Metalwork quality: The piercing should be clean and even — no rough edges, consistent hole sizes, clean geometric pattern. Run your finger around the edge of the lantern body — quality metalwork is smooth; rough or sharp edges indicate haste.
Assembly: Check where the panels join. Quality lanterns are soldered cleanly. Loose panels that rattle indicate inferior construction that will fail quickly.
Hinge and door: The access door for the candle should open and close smoothly and latch securely. A door that won’t stay closed is useless.
Proportions: A good lantern has visual balance — the proportions of body to base to top are deliberate. Tourist-grade lanterns sometimes have stumpy proportions that look fine in a dim shop but odd in a well-lit room at home.
Weight: Quality metalwork has appropriate weight. A lantern that feels very light for its size is probably made from thin-gauge metal that dents easily.
Price negotiation
Lantern shops in the Mouassine area operate on negotiable prices. Standard approach: offer 60–70% of the quoted price (lanterns are less dramatically inflated than some other souk goods), and expect to settle at 70–80%. On larger purchases (multiple lanterns or a statement piece), push harder — volume purchases justify more flexibility.
Fixed-price shops exist and are clearly identified. A shop that immediately says “no discount” when you ask is most likely genuine fixed-price, not playing hard to get.
Buying multiple lanterns: If you are buying several pieces (common — once one is chosen, others follow quickly), negotiate the bundle price rather than each piece individually. A bundle of five small lanterns should yield a noticeably better unit price than buying them separately.
Getting lanterns home: the logistics problem
This is the question that stops more lantern purchases than the price. A large copper lantern is rigid, fragile at certain points (the glass inserts), and awkward to pack. Here is the honest breakdown by lantern size:
Small lanterns (under 20cm): Pack with socks or clothing inside the body to prevent denting, wrap in a t-shirt, and place in the centre of your suitcase surrounded by soft items. These travel fine as checked luggage.
Medium lanterns (20–35cm): Same approach but deserving of more bubble wrap or clothing padding. Remove any glass panels before packing (keep them separately wrapped). A medium lantern generally fits in a standard 23kg check-in case with careful packing.
Large lanterns (50cm+): These are the challenge. Options:
- Buy a dedicated box from the shop (many will box items for international shipping) and check the box as oversized luggage (most airlines allow this with a fee)
- Have the shop ship it via DHL or Aramex — 7–14 days, cost varies by destination, typically 150–400 MAD for Europe
- Purchase an airline-approved oversized bag at the shop (some sell these specifically for large lantern transport)
Glass vs solid metal: If you are concerned about transport damage, stick to solid pierced metal lanterns rather than glass-panel versions. Solid copper handles the pressures of checked luggage far better than glass inserts.
Pairing lantern shopping with the rest of the medina
The Mouassine quarter is one of the medina’s most interesting neighbourhoods beyond just lanterns — the Mouassine Mosque (exterior only for non-Muslims) dates to the 16th century, and several of the best concept stores and design-forward craft shops in Marrakech are in this area. Allow half a day to browse properly.
From Mouassine, the souk axis heading south toward Jemaa el-Fnaa covers Souk Semmarine (textiles), then the square itself. Heading north and east leads to Souk Haddadine and the blacksmiths’ quarter.
For the full souk geography, the Marrakech souks guide maps all the specialist quarters and gives the overall navigation strategy. The Berber rugs guide covers the neighbouring carpet souk.
For context on Morocco’s broader craft heritage, the artisan cooperatives guide explains the cooperative movement that connects craft production to fair wages.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring Moroccan lanterns on a plane as carry-on?
Small lanterns (under 20cm, no sharp protruding points) can usually travel as cabin baggage, but metal lanterns with pointed finials or sharp elements may be flagged by security. Check your airline’s policy. For anything medium or larger, checked luggage is more reliable.
Do Moroccan lanterns work with standard European/UK plug electricity?
Lanterns are not typically pre-wired for mains electricity — they are designed for candles. If you want an electric version, buy a battery-powered LED candle to fit inside, or have a local electrician wire it for your local current standard when you return home.
What is the difference between Moroccan and Turkish lanterns?
Turkish lanterns (mosaic lanterns) use coloured glass mosaic tiles set in a metal frame, producing stained-glass colour effects. Moroccan lanterns primarily use pierced metalwork (copper, brass, silver-toned steel) to create geometric light patterns through the holes. Both are sold in Moroccan tourist markets — the metalwork-based pierced lantern is the authentically Moroccan style.
Is there a best time of day to shop for lanterns?
Late afternoon (4–6pm) when the light drops and the display lanterns are lit is both the most useful time to see how the light patterns actually look and the most atmospheric. Morning is better for careful inspection in natural light. Both are worth doing — assess in morning light, make the final decision in evening light.