Magical Photos of Life in Morocco
It became some kind of a tradition that in December I share with you the most stunning photos of Morocco of the past year. You can see the photos from 2015 here, and today I’d like to share with you more stunning shots taken by my dear friends, Moroccan photographers, in 2016. Each one of them is unique in their own way, I truly appreciate the way they see and show moments through their lens.
By Abdelhamid Belhamidi
Nothing. Everything. -Sahara de Merzouga
Here where time stops, everything has its own true value. I’ve learnt that some people are still living with the less of needs. A place where the phone you’re checking now isn’t better than water if you want to survive. I realized how amazing is life beyond all the things we truly don’t need. I’ve seen how human relationships were the true wealth for nomads, that every word got its meaning, when every smile has its worth. We’re seeing life as having so much only, forgetting how peace and joy can be reached in seeking abundance, being rich in having people by your side, making memories, and living life experiences. -Nomads Cave, Dades Canyon
Captured in Essaouira
two women chatting away the evening on the steps on Hassan 2 mosque
in Oudaya Rabat, a busker was playing the guembri and as I leaned in to take a picture he stopped and smiled (asked for money later, but the way he played, he deserved it )
Sunset captured in Aglou
This relationship between the cat and the man was my daily life whenever I went to the medina of Rabat. Every morning, the cat was waiting for the man to bring him his portion of cheese. Medina of Rabat.
Love in the medina, this couple moved me when I saw them holding hands and by the benevolence that each of them carries for the other. Taken in he medina of Rabat
“Que Sera Sera.”
It’s the name of this stranded boat on the beach of Laayoune. It was as if destiny gave it the end which its name foretold. Que Sera Sera (whatever will be, will be), and it happened on the white sandy beaches of the costs of the Moroccan south. I was contemplating this majestic wreck, lost in my thoughts, imagining it sailing through the Atlantic currents.
I was accompanied by Mokhtar, a Sahrawi friend and a history and arts buff. He was the one who showed me this place. He said: I know a place and a story that you will like.
And here we are, the place can take your breath away, the story however, you can judge for yourselves.
Que Sera Sera is, or rather was, an Icelandic fishing boat. Its crew used to fish sardines for 14 months in the offshore waters of Laayoune, and then export them.
Que Sera Sera was not like the other boats, in two or three months, it has surpassed all its competitors, lowering prices, until it was the only one left in the place. It offered work for hundreds of people in Laayoune, the company by the name of Fleur de Mer had a real impact on the city, workers were paid 80 dirhams per hour, something unheard-of at the time. Everyone was happy, until the day when the crew disappeared, leaving behind the stranded boat on the beach.
Mokhtar then stayed silent for a long period, and as I could not accept that ending, I asked him, disappeared how? And why?
“They used sardines to launder cocaine money and… nobody ever suspected anything.”
The rocks near Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca.
“My name is Zeinah and I’m from California, near Los Angeles. It was always my dream to go to Morocco, perhaps thanks to my father, who comes from Beirut, Lebanon. We always looked at the pictures of architecture and Moroccan aesthetics with wonder, and there was always a deep connection of the Arab world for me. In the United States I know that I am far from Lebanon and other Arab countries, but also with my Arabic name, I feel a line between me and this beautiful culture. So I went to Morocco with my friend, Bailey, and it was a magical trip. In addition to the magnificent architecture in the medina, we met the people who welcomed us throughout our trip. Once I was buying the fruit at the market in Chefchaoen, and ordered it very specific so I can have the right bananas. And there was a woman who smiled and patted me on the back and said something in Arabic. We laughed together and shared a moment together, even though we had different ages and cultures. I love people and Moroccan culture. It was really magical.”
Source : BeWilderedInMorocco
