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A small carved stone figure is set into the corner of a sandstone building in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh

Morocco Land

A turbaned stone figure in a niche on the front of Morocco Land, a Canongate tenement, with a story of a runaway who came home rich.

Welcome

Halfway down the Canongate, look up at the front of number 265.

Between the first and second floors, in a rough stone niche, stands a small carved figure of a man in a turban, with earrings, armlets and a necklace. The building is known as Morocco Land, and the figure has been watching the street for three centuries.

The story told about it is one of the best on the Royal Mile. Andrew Gray, a young man of the Canongate, fled Edinburgh in the 17th century with a price on his head, and was carried off and sold in Morocco. He rose high in the service of the Emperor there and grew rich, then came home to find the city stricken by plague, cured the provost's daughter, married her, and settled in this house. The figure, the story goes, is his old master, the Emperor of Morocco.

The tenement was rebuilt in the 20th century, and the figure was kept on its front.

Round the cornerRoom & RumoursA coffee shop and doughnut bakery in one of the railway arches of East Market Street, by Waverley, with fresh doughnuts every day.1 min by roadSee itRoom & Rumours
Before you go

The figure looks down from the front of 265-267 Canongate, between the first and second floors.

It is seen from the street at any hour.

Where
265-267 Canongate, on the north side of the Royal Mile.

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Where it is

On the north side of the Canongate, the lower Royal Mile.

Close byThe Canongate.
  1. John Knox House on the Royal Mile with pedestrians below its timbered gablesJohn Knox HouseA townhouse of about 1470, one of the oldest on the Royal Mile.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The Scottish Storytelling CentreThe Scottish Storytelling CentreAn Old Town venue given over to the Scottish art of telling a tale.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. WedgwoodWedgwoodA restaurant on the Canongate run by Paul and Lisa Wedgwood since 2007, cooking Scottish produce with herbs the chef forages himself.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Ivy trimmed into a heart shape on a townhouse wall beside blossomChessel’s CourtA quiet court of 'mansion flats' of the 1740s off the Canongate.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. White Horse CloseWhite Horse CloseA white-harled courtyard of crow-stepped houses at the foot of the Canongate.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Scottish Poetry LibraryScottish Poetry LibraryA free library of poetry off the Canongate.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
Restaurant tables set with wine glasses beside a large potted monstera plantRestaurantsThe White HorseA step away
Tenement corner building on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, The World's End pub belowRestaurantsThe World’s EndA step away
World's End Close sign above a dark tunnel entrance on Edinburgh's Royal MileAttractionsWorld’s End CloseA step away
Green shopfront sign reading Cadenhead's, Scotland's Oldest Independent Bottler, established 1842ShoppingCadenhead'sA step away
Canongate Tolbooth's turret and projecting clock rise above Edinburgh's Royal MileRestaurantsThe Tolbooth TavernA step away
Painted figure of a newsboy shouting above The People's Story signAttractionsThe People’s StoryA step away
The counter at Santu on the Canongate, green tiles below and an espresso machine behind, with canelés and croissants on wooden boards.CafeSantu0.2 miles
Two bowls of ramen at Ikigai on South Bridge: a creamy tonkotsu with pork belly and a soft egg, and a dark mushroom broth, by glasses of water with lemon.RestaurantsIkigai0.2 miles
Scottish Textiles Showcase, EdinburghShoppingScottish Textiles Showcase0.2 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the figure, and when each is next free.

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Morocco Land
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Morocco Land
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from Morocco Land
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from Morocco Land
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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