Moroccan dreams

Morocco, the land of light, in an under-served travel slogan for a majority of its tourists who visit this North African nation lining the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. It is more known for its cities such as Casablanca and Marrakech, which inspire visions of historical romance and spy-thriller-esque environs. But far in the interior of the country, lays a landscape with varied geology that would give even the US a run for its money. Fault lines that cris-cross the Atlas mountain have folded the landscape over like crumpled paper, pushing multiple layers that were hidden deep below high into the sky.

It is not a forgiving landscape. Wind-swept plains intersperse the lowlands between the ranges, with poor soil and arid conditions leaving very little room for sustenance. The blue line of the paved road that traverses this landscape carries the lifeblood to remote settlements that dot this region. And provided me with an opportunity to explore this remote hinterland of Morocco.

Atlas mountains
Morocco

The Lone Monument

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The landscape around me was a grand spectacle, towering red sandstone cliffs with a little dusting of snow rising from the dry desert landscape. Yet what the photo doesn't capture the communal culture of rural Morocco. Apart from the Bedouin herders, the villages and towns surrounded by a palm fringed desert are perhaps the only places of respite in the harsh landscape. And in these oases, you can find solace in the airy riads with a glass of ice-cold mint tea, and meet the community in the farmers markets that attract crowds for miles.

But the vast desert doesn't really give that away.

Dades Gorge
Morocco

The High Atlas

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The descent of winter onto the Pacific Northwest brings with it short gloomy days often accompanied by rain. This would have normally been the time to socialize indoors, but it is our duty to be responsible and reduce social interactions to slow down the spread of the pandemic gripping the nation. That, however, does not come without consequences.

To help ease the stress of the dark winters, I use my photography to escape to the furthest places I have photographed. This time around, I relived my memories from driving through the high Atlas mountains of Morocco. While spending a night in the rocky spine of Morocco, I found a vast windswept plain between Lac Islit and Tislit, two surreal bodies of water surrounded by snow-capped peaks.

Life is harsh in this area, and even the arrival of roads, motor vehicles, electricity, and the internet, have only slightly eased the difficulty of living here. Subsistence living with meager livestock still remains the predominant form of sustenance. Two donkeys from one such herd graze on the sparse vegetation in the high Atlas

Imilchil

Morocco

The High Atlas

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"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that had made all the difference"

The spring of 2017 found me driving on one of the most remote roads in the heart of Morocco. That lonely highway crossed the high Atlas that formed the spine of Morocco. It cut through spectacular montane terrain, deep river canyons and antiquated mud-brick villages. Every new turn in the road brought about more unforgettable imagery.

This was one such amazing scene that awaited me on that memorable journey.

Tislite

Morocco

Inhospitable Morocco

The winds were relentless and the trail had disappeared into scree, but the views were just endless

I was hiking high above the Dades river valley, deep within the Atlas mountain range, the spine of Morocco. I had started out huffing and puffing in the warm late afternoon sun, but a few hundred feet up, the cold gusts of winds from the snow-capped peaks absorbed all my surface moisture, chilling me to the bone. But the views were just getting better, and that prodded me on.

And finally, the vista of the beautiful Dades river valley finally opened up. Tiny fields lay beside a meandering river, with red brick houses of a small village scattered along the steep slopes of the canyon the river had cut through. In the distance, the river disappeared through a narrow gorge it cut downstream on its way to the Atlantic, while the backdrop of a long line of snow-capped peaks reminded me that winter was not yet over in this high desert.

This is one exposure from that vista point, shot at 1/500s at ISO 800 at F11.

Dades Gorge
Morocco