medina

The Medina

My heart goes out to the people of Morocco who have been affected by the terrible tragedy that occurred last week. During my travel there, I was struck by the kindness and hospitality, the richness of their history, and their way of life rooted in tradition. Walking around the medina was an experience where all my senses got overwhelmed: the fragrant smells of spices, the dine of the street hawkers, the colorful fabrics, carpets and leather goods and so much more. I can only imagine how terribly these places were impacted.

The people of Morocco are resilient. I hope they pull through this difficult time.

Marrakech
Morocco

Deserted Alleys

With travel now opening up generally, where are you planning to go next? What are your fondest travel memories?
I still fondly remember walking down narrow alleyways of the walled city in Chefchaouen where every door, walk, step and adornment was dunked in a rich blue color. After immersing myself in the hustle and bustle of a working medina during the day, I returned back early the following morning to capture the place in silence, where the only sounds were those of a barking dog and a crowing rooster.

Chefchaouen
Morocco

Cats of Chefchaouen

During the downtime of the winter days, I often go back to clean my archives and find interesting photos from them. In trying to juggle different priorities in the summer, I hardly get time to do this, and hence, I get perennially backlogged, to the point that I am editing photos from more than 3 years ago.

I discovered this group of images of cats in a medina while editing photos from my travels to Morocco. I was wandering around the narrow alleyways that wound through the blue-washed walls of Chefchaouen when I noticed that there were cats everywhere. Having grown up in human presence, they were completely unperturbed by the thronging crowds of the medina, and were hard to photograph. Hence I returned to those locations early in the morning, and found the cats to be far more active and playful. Here are few that caught my attention and became strong memories of my travels to Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen

Morocco

Morning in the Medina

The narrow alleyways of the medina, vibrant and full of life the previous night, was now a series of shuttered shops. The street-cleaners were making their way around, sweeping away memories, stories and remnants of the last 12 hours. The loud cries of the daily newspaper delivery crew, echoed through the long hallowed hallways and dark alleys, the only sign heralding the new day.

Here and there, a few shops opened up, the owners still recovering from their sleepy stupor, with some clutching the mass of crumpled newspapers, while others were trying to start their daily routine with morning tea. The air was cool and refreshing, filled with the scent of earthly petrichor, as well as the strong scents of mint tea and spices. The noise levels, quiet at first, rose slowly with the arrival of shoppers and tourists. It was going to be another great day of routine business in the medina of Marrakech.

I spotted these two gentlemen waiting to being their daily routines while still trying to catch up on sleep.

Jemaa el-Fnaa
Marrakech Morocco

 

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Blue Hour at the Blue City

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To visit Morocco is like turning the pages of some illuminated Persian manuscript all embroidered with bright shapes and subtle lines

Edith Wharton

Search for Chefchaouen and you get dazzling imagery of vibrant blue alleys and embroidered doorways framing the everyday life of the local community which thrives there. I got very absorbed exploring the innumerable unnamed streets, staring at artwork in colorful cul-de-sacs, enjoying the local children playing games, eyeing the variety of carpets and spices on sale in the souvenir stores, and catching the odd glimpse of feline denizens who seem to have command of the town with a calm demeanor.

I decided to take a step back to see how it was actually laid out, and until I got to that vista point, I never realized the scale of that town. From high above, the medina was a smorgasbord of "blue"-washed concrete buildings smashed together high up in the up on the hillside, with orange street-lights highlighting the thoroughfares snaking up the hills and highlighting the mosques that acted as focal points for the medina.I tried to imagine how it would have been a few decades ago, a thriving community of traders nestled high in the mountains. And how now, we, as tourists, get the opportunity and resources to visit places like these....

The Blue Line

One of my fondest memories of Morocco was the hours I spent wandering through the narrow alleys of Chefchaouen, the "blue" village. I had envisioned a beautiful old medina swathed in blue, replete with old markets hawking tourist knick knacks, cramp…

One of my fondest memories of Morocco was the hours I spent wandering through the narrow alleys of Chefchaouen, the "blue" village. I had envisioned a beautiful old medina swathed in blue, replete with old markets hawking tourist knick knacks, cramped hotels and airy riads lined along labyrinthine alleys rubbing shoulders with intricately decorated mosques, and a place devoid of locals. Yet, what I found there was much much more.

Instead of a touristed village, I instead found myself in a living medieval village. Narrow alleyways were bustling with small bakeries and grocery stores, with children being dragged by their parents to school, with kids enjoying an afternoon game of soccer, with parents off to the evening prayers or to the refreshing waters of a nearby waterfall. Despite the crowds, I found nooks and crannies of peace in the hidden alleys of the village.

Nevertheless, I returned in the morning, and wandered the empty streets devoid of people, with shuttered shops and no other color apart from the blue, the lifeline of the village.

Chefchaouen
Morocco

You can find one more spectacular image from Chefchaouen in my 2018 calendar. All proceeds will get donated to NRDC  and WildAid,