Jan272021
Rug weaver posing with colourful handwoven rugs in the Ait Benhaddou kasbah in Ouarzazate.

By Cosmo Condina

Photography By Cosmo Condina

Morocco presents a succession of sublime scenery from the seaside town of Essaouria, to the rugged Atlas Mountains, the dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga, the blue town of Chefchaouen and the four imperial cities of Marrakech, Fez, Meknes and Rabat.

The country is over 99% Muslim with around 41,755 mosques. Your wake up call before sunrise will be the call to prayer, which occurs five times a day. The mosque is a cultural meeting place. Only Muslims are permitted into a mosque except for the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which has the tallest minaret in the world.

Moroccans are noted for their warm hospitality and friendly nature. They greet strangers and friends with mint tea throughout the day. Tea is considered a relaxing start to every encounter and to decline it is a sign of disrespect.

Over the month I traveled through Morocco each day was a new adventure. The kasbah mud brick castles in the desert protect the inhabitants from the sun and heat but they are also fragile wearing away with any heavy rains. A good example of ruins is the Skoura Kasbah.

Ait Benhaddou is an historic ighrem or ksar (fortified village) along the former caravan route between the Sahara and  Marrakech. It is considered a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.  Over twenty movies have used the location for filming desert epics.

Founded in 789, Fez has the richest history in Morocco and boasts the oldest university in the world. It is known as the “Mecca of the West.” The Dar al-Makhzen or Royal Place is the home of the King of Morocco. Its historic medina is a World Heritage Site and includes the Choura Tannery, which dates back to the 9th century. An excellent example of Zellij tilework and stucco decorations with Arabic calligraphy can be found at  Bou Inania Madras.

Marrakesh founded almost 1,000 years ago is a maze of souqs. Djemma El-Fna, the city’s main square, is full of snake charmers, water sellers in fringed red hats, henna tattoo artists, musicians, con artists and a cacophony of sounds. As evening nears hundreds of food stalls teem with locals and tourists sampling local dishes.

Near the end of my trip I awoke at 4:15 am. I felt like a somnambulist caught between sleep and awaking. Suddenly, three voices from different minarets merged creating a sense of elation. Then the roosters crowed.

Morocco is modern and ancient at the same time. The temperament of the voice under the veil is the warmth of the heart.

Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif in the city of Rissani, was the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco,. This mausoleum was opened to non-Muslims, however the tomb area is only accessible to Muslims.
Ait Benhaddou a Unesco protected kasbah from the 11th century. The red mud brick casbah located near Ouarzazate has been a filming location for Lawrence of Arabia, Jewel of the Nile, Gladiator and Jesus of Nazareth.
Rug weaver posing with colourful handwoven rugs in the Ait Benhaddou kasbah in Ouarzazate.
Berber posing in the 45 km long Dades Gorge and Monkey Fingers Canyon. The rock formations range up to 500 meters and relocated are just 9km from Boumalne Dades.
Fishing boats moored in the port city of Essaouira known as the “Wind City of Africa”.
Madrasa Bou Inania in Fez built in AD 1350-55. Madras is the Arabic word meaning any type of educational institution. It is widely acknowledged as a high point of Marinid architecture and of historic Moroccan architecture.
The night sky above Ksar oasis village. With no light pollution the skies shine bright at night here in the desert.
Children posing in Ksar El Khorbat, a fortified village built of mud bricks in the 19th century. in the low valley of Todra, South Morocco.
El Badi Place is a ruined palace in Marrakesh. It was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in 1578 and fell in ruin. In 1696, Alawite sultan of Moulay Ismail stripped the palace of it’s valuables to build the imperial city in Meknes.
Water sellers dressed in brightly coloured clothing and hats to advertise their services in Djemaa El Fan in Marrakech.
Meknes is one of the four imperial cities. Mansour Gate at El Hedim Square, built in the years 1672-1674 by Moulay Ismail.
Tea server pouring mint tea. Tea is a very important place in the life and the social relations in Morocco, it is the drink of friendship and hospitality. Mint tea is traditionally drunk at any time of the day, with a small preference at the end of the meal, like a digestive.
Portrait of an Ahwash musician. Ahwash is a collective musical form associated with Amazigh communities in southern Morocco, particularly around Ouarzazate, the Dra’a Valley and Sous. Ahwash involves dance, singing, poetry, and percussion.
Erg Chebbi sand dunes shape shifting over 28 km from north to south and reaching heights of 160 meters The rose gold dunes look best at sunrise and sunset.
A local having a mint tea at a spice shop
Nomad Berber children playing with goats.
The ruins at Volubilis is a partly excavated Roman city situated near the city of Meknes. The city is the best preserved archaeological site in Morocco and is a a UNESCO world heritage site. Built in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC onward as a Berber, then promo- Carthaginian settlement before being the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and expanded to cover about 42 hectares (100 acres). Volubilis continued to be inhabited until the 18th century, when its marble was plundered for Moulay Ismail’s palaces in Meknes.
Category: Photo Essays