My World: Glimpses of Maghreb

[fahim mohammed]

The Blue City...

A note that Ayesha and I had the privilege to meet two wonderful people during our travels.

One of them has since joined the forum. My very warm welcome to her.

 

[Jerome Marot]

This very nice. The colors, obviously. But also the composition with the green of the leaves and the yellow of the road leading the eye to the lady in red.

Nice to see you back. Did you manage to rescue the hard disc?

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Fahim,

Welcome back. This is a stunning picture, the composition and the colors are top notch. I would dare say that this is one of the best pictures of yours.

 

[fahim mohammed]

This very nice. The colors, obviously. But also the composition with the green of the leaves and the yellow of the road leading the eye to the lady in red.

Nice to see you back. Did you manage to rescue the hard disc?

Hi Jerome...

Thank you for stopping by. It is nice to be back home...very nice.

I shall give the computer to Sony and see what they can rescue from the HD.

I am working of the jpg from my SD cards. I had to abandon most of the raw file format to conserve space.

Kindest regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Hi Fahim,

Welcome back. This is a stunning picture, the composition and the colors are top notch. I would dare say that this is one of the best pictures of yours.

Good afternoon friend..

I am embarrassed by your comments to say more than a heartfelt ' thank you '.

I have some catching up to do of recent posts here. Hope to get to them soon.

My best wishes to you and yours.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Mysterious alleys, narrow streets, dark turns..much the same as thousands of years ago..

 

[fahim mohammed]

First an image..

The first and this image comes from a small town near Tangiers. There is a reason for this. Within the Rif mountains you shall find the Berber tribe ( Atlas mountain range too ).

What's so special about the Berbers? Amongst many other reasons, I want to mention one..Ibn Battuta.

The legendary Muslim traveller belonged to the Berber tribe. Tangier is near Spain. Jebel-ul-Tarik, Gharnata, Andulas all have association with Maghreb.

Where do these colors ( that I depict ), designs, ideas originate. They were not born out of a vaccum.

Universities that long predate Western Universities, Navigators that charted the seas and those that risked their lives gambling on these charts are a testament to a proud heritage and contribution to
the modern world.

To visit Maghreb, is to step back in time. To understand Maghreb needs one to appreciate their religion, from whence flows the customs and traditions of Maghreb.

Fail to realize this and one has collected but a few souvenirs and learned nothing about the people that provided sanctuary to Muslims and Jews fleeing persecution in Spain.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Only when I began to look around, sideways, up/down at varying distances and close-up; did I begin to

appreciate the patterns, the delicate color coordinations, the texture of the design, the make-up of the

mosaic. Only then did I begin to sense, superficially at least, the mosaic of life in times long past and

as it carries on to this day..

 

[fahim mohammed]

What's in a mirror? Besides one's own reflection, as in this case the work of master craftsmen.

The mirror is new..the school's mosaics date to the 14th century...

 

[Mark Hampton]

Fahim,

this one works for me in away that the others don't - i am unsure about what i am looking at / what height i am - where in the hell i am - i move all over without a rest. the frame is split in a few ways..

i like this in relation to the idea of time laying down a mosaic - a beautiful thought.

thanks for sharing this one.

cheers

 

[fahim mohammed]

Fahim,

this one works for me in away that the others don't - i am unsure about what i am looking at / what height i am - where in the hell i am - i move all over without a rest. the frame is split in a few ways..

i like this in relation to the idea of time laying down a mosaic - a beautiful thought.

thanks for sharing this one.

cheers

Mark, thanks for looking in. I am glad you liked this one. I thought it was neat when I first could not and then could see the plant in the pot!!

Best regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Ayesha and me went to see the sunset from a cafe terrace.

There were quite a few tourists lining up to get a few tables. I had been here earlier in the morning for
a coffee and look/see.

Had arranged it with the ' man in charge ' to keep a table..it was there.

The setting sun meant the little lone fishermen pulling in their nets and their small catch.

The town rooftops took on the golden colors as we waited for the call to prayers from the minarets. The
seagulls were doing whatever they do at this time.

The smell of the sea, the sound of the crashing waves, the screeching of the gulls all added to an
unforgettable experience for us.

It was quite chilly and windy. And we thought about having grilled fish for dinner. She wanted Calamari and scampi too!! We had a big sea bass, grilled with just a sprinkling of black pepper and lemon. Yum!!

The sun did what it does at this time and as the last light started fading we made for dinner..

We had a early morning date with the fishermen the next day, to catch the boats coming in.

 

[fahim mohammed]

The streams are cold..very cold. And crystal clear water gushes forth from the waterfalls around these

parts..

We are headed up in the high Atlas mountains..Ayesha is trekking.

I took a car and shall wait for Ayesha in this Berber village..

You might realize why Marrakech is called the red city. Look at the mountains and the village.

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

This thread gets better and better. These pictures are alive. I have imagined that I was sitting next to the stream and sipping and I could taste the sweet fresh water.

 

[Tracy Lebenzon]

This is a cool collection of images. The bright colors and classic architecture speak of places largely unchanged for a long time.

This one (amongst several others) is just great!

 

[fahim mohammed]

This thread gets better and better. These pictures are alive. I have imagined that I was sitting next to the stream and sipping and I could taste the sweet fresh water.

Cem, my salutations for the kind words.

Warmest regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

This is a cool collection of images. The bright colors and classic architecture speak of places largely unchanged for a long time.

This one (amongst several others) is just great!

Hi Tracy. Really appreciate you stopping by and your generous comment.

Thank you and best regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Take your shoes off..takes on a new meaning around them Atlas mountains. Literally. So I took mine off

for lunch. And froze my feet and my butt!!

As Ayesha headed up on her track, her camera captured a common scene around here. Fresh oranges

and orange juice. Instantly chilled to your specifications..naturally!! One has to request the time..a few
seconds, or a couple of minutes. More than this, the oranges have not much juice to squeeze off.

Ayesha continued her climb, and along the way crossed many waterfalls..

All flowing downstream for laggards like me to enjoy.

At last she sighted the village. Seems near when I took this. She still has a 10 km trek to reach this
point..

 

[fahim mohammed]

Down from the Atlas mountains, in the city. In the ' medina ' to be correct, I visted the Mallah.

Most Older cities in the Maghreb are as they were hundreds/some thousands of years ago. Protected.

Around them have been developed the newer expansions. The ' medina al-jadid ' as they are called. The

new city. The old and the new. We were not interested in the new.

This set of images are from the very old city of Fes. The religious and cultural heart of the Maghreb. Near
here is where it all began.

The ' medina ' here is the oldest surviving lived in city from the early Islamic times. It is rightfully

a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Imperial City of Fes..

 

[fahim mohammed]

The time has come to bring this series to a close. I shall be adding to it or to other forums as required.

In the meantime we leave you with images taken by the both of us. A lovely people, a beautiful country.

From the Eastern shores..

From the Center of Maghreb..

To the Atlantic Coast in the Northwest..Bogart and Ingrid never did visit Dar Al Baida..

Nor indeed did they see the Hasan II Mosque..a magnificent structure. Holds 80,000 worshippers in its courtyard.

20,000 worshippers inside the main building. The doors are made of Titanium. The engravings/mosaics
design is pure Islamic and from the Maghreb..

The Mosque stands along the corniche of Dar Al Baida, looking out to the ocean.

As does Ayesha, sitting along the perimeter wall of the Mosque and the Corniche...

Thank you for being with us. And thank you to the people of Maghreb for having us as their guests and

displaying the usual generous Muslim and Arab hospitality to visitors to their country.

 

[Jerome Marot]

Very nice series, I really enjoyed it.

A question: do the people over there accept to be photographed or do they refuse for religious reasons?

 

[Don Ferguson Jr.]

Wow, great photos of Morocco and really love that first one as well as the unusual photo with the window and the potted plant.
Don

 

[fahim mohammed]

Wow, great photos of Morocco and really love that first one as well as the unusual photo with the window and the potted plant.
Don

Don, grateful that you looked in; and glad you found something of interest.

Best regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Very nice series, I really enjoyed it.

A question: do the people over there accept to be photographed or do they refuse for religious reasons?

Jerome, much appreciate that you looked thru the series.

Maghreb is a very conservative country, and people photography is generally not tolerated. Of course, there are those that put on a show for tourists...for money; these allow their photos to be taken.

Thank you and kindest regards.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Ayesha and me went to see the sunset from a cafe terrace.

There were quite a few tourists lining up to get a few tables. I had been here earlier in the morning for
a coffee and look/see.

Had arranged it with the ' man in charge ' to keep a table..it was there.

The setting sun meant the little lone fishermen pulling in their nets and their small catch.

The smell of the sea, the sound of the crashing waves, the screeching of the gulls all added to an
unforgettable experience for us.

It was quite chilly and windy. And we thought about having grilled fish for dinner. She wanted Calamari and scampi too!! We had a big sea bass, grilled with just a sprinkling of black pepper and lemon. Yum!!

The sun did what it does at this time and as the last light started fading we made for dinner..

This simple picture reminds me of dining at a similar fisherman's restaurant by the water and to the right the old Crusaders for of Bodrum. Those fellows were supposed to be hospitaliers but ended up being pirates to raid the Arab trading vessels passing the coast!

Romantic present, painful past!

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

I suppose that the city in the first picture is الشاون‎ ? Is that correct?

 

[fahim mohammed]

I suppose that the city in the first picture is الشاون‎ ? Is that correct?

Jerome, you are absolutely correct. Berber name for the city. Small town really, laid back.

From slightly high up on a hill looking towards the town..

Known as the Blue City as most houses and walls have a bluish color.

In the town itself...

Best regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

This simple picture reminds me of dining at a similar fisherman's restaurant by the water and to the right the old Crusaders for of Bodrum. Those fellows were supposed to be hospitaliers but ended up being pirates to raid the Arab trading vessels passing the coast!

Romantic present, painful past!

Asher

Bodrum, Turkey..Essaouira, Maghreb; here I was thinking of the Spanish and Portugese as I watched the

gulls and the now silent canons.

I saw the old fort, now a fishing port, as the sun set..

 

[fahim mohammed]

The last one from this series..

A Berber musician performing for us..the tourists!!

Thanks for being with us.