Half the city is owned by the Silver-Blood family. Though there are many races populating the city, the people of Markarth are not fond of outsiders and the guards treat them with hostility and suspicion. He is having issues with a group known as the Forsworn.
Much of the city is carved into the rock face which surrounds it. It is housed in an ancient Dwemer city, giving it architecture noticeably different from most cities in Skyrim. Markarth is a major city located in the Reach, near the border of High Rock.