Posts Tagged ‘Morocco’

On my most recent trip to Morocco, I visited the wonderful town of Chefchaouen. I had seen pictures of the fabled blue village in postcards and on-line, but seeing it up close is quite a different experience. The town is nestled in the side of the Rif mountains, just inland from Tangier in northern Morocco. Founded in 1471, Chefchaouen is now home to 35,000 Moroccans.

And if it isn’t obvious from the pictures above, the entire town is painted blue. Like, absolutely everything. The houses, the doorways, the sidewalks…and each a subtle variation on the hue. And though visually stunning as this was, what I didn’t expect was the hypnotically calming effect that walking around a blue city actually has on one’s mind. Besides feeling like you are actually inside an animated cartoon, I also found it strangely impossible to have any sort of negative thought while exploring the peaceful azure alleyways.

In the upcoming Issue 3 of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful, you can see the colorful Chefchaouen as if you were really there, getting lost in the labyrinths and doorways. My thanks to my guides, Karim Tibari, Tarek & Yousef Turner, and Moustafa el Habti for the personalized tour of this magical town. Pick up your copy of WMB 3D in the Saglimbeni Store here!

It’s hard to not fall in love with Morocco after the first few days. Casablanca, largely due to its’ classic Hollywood fame, conjures cinematic visions of mystery and romance. And Marrakech—with its snake charmers, night markets and brass bazaars—is straight out of an adventure novel.

I first visited Morocco in 2009, and again more recently to photograph the country in 3D for World’s Most Beautiful. I found the people friendly, the food delicious and the culture absolutely magical. A mix of African, Arab and European influences, Morocco is as diverse in culture as it is in people and terrain. The cities, in fact, are the most Western thing about Morocco. As such, I’ve broken my Morocco travelogue into four parts.

This first segment starts in Casablanca, at the spectacular Mohammed V mosque—which both overlooks and partially sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Then, we travel south to Marrakech, where we visit the bustling Jemaa el’Fnaa market square. I can still smell the steaming food stalls and taste the mint tea. Lastly, I get to play with impressively large knives at the Azlag Dagger Cooperative in El Kelaa Mgouna.

For the full adventure, be sure to pick up your copy of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful on iPhone, iPad, Android phones & tablets and in Collector’s Edition print.

CREDITS:
Photos 1-6: Mohammed V Mosque, Casablanca
7-13: Food stalls, tea carts, and brass souks line the Jemaa el’Fnaa square in Marrakech.
14: “That’s not a knife, THIS is a knife.” in El Kelaa Mgouna