Morocco

Vibrant and colourful

I travelled to Morocco in March 2024. For the first half of my visit, I stayed in the small city of Taroudant in south-western Morocco which is about 70 km east of the coastal City of Agadir. It is relatively little known to tourists but its well-preserved medieval walls are considered to be some of the very best in the world. Inside the medina, there are squares, mosques and souks. There are also many places to visit in the immediate area including the Tioute Oasis in the foothills of the Anti-Atlas mountains and the home of the famous Chilean artist, Claudio Bravo. The region is renowned for its leatherwork and for argan oil derived from the nuts of trees which are found in only a few parts of the world

From Taroudant I travelled across the High Atlas mountains on my way to Marrakech and visited local villages and the UNESCO World Heritage site at Ait Ben Haddou. Historically, Ait Ben Haddou was part of the trans -Saharan caravan route but in modern times it has also been the site where numerous famous movies have been filmed such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and the Game of Thrones. The snow-covered mountains are spectacular but it was extremely sad to see the extent of the destruction in villages from the earthquake of September 2023.

My final destination, Marrakech, was quite a contrast to my earlier journey, but it was fascinating nonetheless. It was big, full of tourists and you had to keep your wits about you, but lots to see including the Jemma el-Fna square, the Koutoubia Mosque and the Bahia Palace. As a photographer I can also highly recommend a visit to the Maison de Photographie which highlights the works of early photographers in Morocco and explains the techniques they used.

The people in Morocco are kind and friendly but, particularly as a photographer, you must be sensitive to avoid invading their personal space. I also became more aware of the threats Moroccans face from their changing environment and natural disasters. Morocco has experienced several years of drought and this was obvious to see in Taroudant with parched fields and very low yields from the argan trees despite being specially adapted to prolonged arid conditions.

There are so many things to commend Morocco to the photographer. From a personal perspective, it was the colours of Morocco that were the outstanding feature. Landscapes, markets and buildings were awash with vibrant colours which made my trip so memorable. I hope you will be able to recognise this in the selection of images included on the website.

I do recommend Taroudant as a place to visit, particularly if you like photography and want to escape intense tourism. I stayed at La Maison Anglaise which is a delightful ecolodge. https://cecu.co.uk/