Sunday, March 31, 2013

Marrakech - Light and Shade

Marrakech is Morocco's fourth largest city after Casablanca, Fes and Rabat

Marrakech was founded in 1062. The combination of bright sun, blue sky, lovely medieval architecture and stark contrast of light and shade makes it a wonderful place for photography

A typical market scene

The rooftops of Marrakech

Rooftop cafés are very popular

Coming into the the Jemaa el-Fnaa or Djemaa el Fna. It is one of the most famous squares in all of Africa and is the centre of city activity and trade

Around the edges of the large square there are cafes, restaurants, banks and pharmacies. The square is a good place to get money from an ATM!

The snake charmers...

...charmed me!

Beautiful arch leading off the square

The square is famous for many things, one of them is fresh orange juice

Minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque

Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in the city, located in the southwest medina quarter of Marrakesh to the side of the square

The minaret is 77 metres (253 ft) in height

It was completed under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199)

The tree doesn't give much shade!

Different forms of transport in Marrakech

Marrakech owes much of its fame to its Souks. It has the largest traditional Berber market in Morocco

Paul Sullivan cites the souks as the principal shopping attraction in the city, describing it as "a honeycomb of intricately connected alleyways, this fundamental section of the old city is a micro-medina in itself, comprising a dizzying number of stalls and shops that range from itsy kiosks no bigger than an elf's wardrobe to scruffy store-fronts that morph into glittering Aladdin's Caves once you're inside."

Hard to take a shot without a sattelite dish!

Mysterious Marrakech!

Light and shade

Alley cat!

Typical Medina alley

This is the Minaret in the first photo, different point of view!

Beautiful Riad Tzarra where I stayed. I fully recommend it. The service is very good

Back in the the Jemaa el-Fnaa. It is imperative to go during the day and at night. The square is transformed at night. Full of locals, who gather and eat in the square. There is a great atmosphere

Love this door

It's all about food!

Dried fruit stall. Everything you could want

Flames of the BBQ fire