When you walk into any historical, walled medina in Morocco the photographic moments are likely to appear before you thick and fast. The buzz of activity and the confines of the pedestrian streets and alleys bring human endeavor and interaction to the fore.
In re-visiting Fes and Chefchaouen I was able to photograph once again in two very distinct settings: the extensive and labyrinthine Fes el Bali (where one slightly scary recommendation for travelers is to lose oneself in the crowd and be pulled along, not knowing where to and for how long!) and then the enchanting and photogenic old town of Chefchaouen, where particular alleys and street-steps have become famous, much sought-after backdrops for the international Instagram crowd.
Street photography in Morocco gives rise to conflicting feelings. The residents are not (yet?) as selfie addicted as many people in India for example and often object to being photographed at close range by unknown foreigners with unknown motives (which, let’s face it, is hardly surprising!) However, as professional photographers such as Harry Gruyaert and Bruno Barbey have shown, catching moments from a more discreet distance has it’s own rewards in that the extraordinary colour, texture and culture of the country can be included to add context and place.
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Fes el Bali boasts of being the largest medina in Morocco and once into its heart it’s easy to become lost and disoriented. Having visited before gave me something of an advantage and in wandering I was even able to find the locations of some previous shots that I’d taken, with this one in particular being replicated to acknowledge the change in four years.
2016
2020
However my time in the city was brief and the exploration coincided with Friday, the religious holiday day when the medina is mostly closed and quiet
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Chefchaouen is set among the beautiful Rif mountains and arriving from any direction is likely to involve a longish drive or coach trip. As a traveler or tourist the old town medina is such a worthwhile destination though, with the architecture and extensive blue walls providing a stunning backdrop for an easygoing and welcoming stay, while the new town presents as a more modern but equally accepting face to the city.
Chefchaouen medina is a paradise for cat-lovers. The town has hundreds of feline inhabitants who prowl, laze and procreate with customary aloofness everywhere in the picturesque surroundings.
It’s also a paradise for the Far-Eastern Instagram generation, with tour groups studying their phones and urgently requesting that their guides show them the particular spot where this or the other influencer has posed before them.
Sunshine in February may be one of Morocco’s obvious attractions…..but the wealth of visual stimulation and photographic opportunity is what will draw me back time and again.