But as the oasis offers refuge in the heat of a desert, peace is often found in the most unlikely of places. And, as I can enthusiastically attest after spending five days on a sublime yoga retreat in the middle of that mayhem, there's plenty of it to be had in the Marrakech medina.
My London life is lived at 100mph - like so many women I attempt to juggle a full-time job and a tiny two-year-old tearaway while attempting to stay fit and have a social life too. I never sit down - if I did, I would fall asleep.
I was on a much-needed personal peace-finding mission when I signed up for the retreat, hosted by yoga teacher of 20 years Nell Lindsell in a tiled riad - a characterful boutique hotel with traditional inner-courtyard that lay within the medina's ochre walls.
The five-day retreat saw 12 women of varying ages (from a boundlessly energetic 21-year-old student to a feisty 68-year-old retired businesswoman, with a few super-fit high-flying forty-something mothers in the mix) unified on a journey towards yogic calm - or at the very least, some bending and stretching, some sun... and a good deal of shopping.
