Monday, January 01, 2007

"Coloured cottons hang in the air" - 25 December 2006

Koutoubia Mosque
“Ducks and pigs and chickens call
Animal carpet wall to wall”

“Coloured cottons hang in the air
Charming cobras in the square”



We spent the morning finding our own way around the Souks, after a photo shoot at the highest mosque in Marrakech.


The afternoon was an organised guided tour around the Souks. The area is so extensive that we saw a completely different set of vendors. The souks are an amazingly varied and colourful area that was originally separated into various craft areas. Now the blacksmiths are the only craft to have retained their own area.


In the evenings the main Square of the Medina comes alive: there are snake charmers, story tellers, acrobats, performers in colourful costumes, medicine men, fruit and juice sellers and open air restaurants that spring up in the centre. The souks, too, are even more mysterious and seem more convoluted at night.

Driving through the souksIn spite of being very crowded with people jostling and sellers imploring passers-by to examine their wares, there is still room to drive a vehicle through the melee.

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