These are photographs taken on my perambulations around Essaouira in between projects I had set myself. This was the end of my trip and I was feeling quite jaded, so there are not as many images as I would have liked. The colours of Essaouira are quite beautiful so I am sure I will return and enjoy myself further. I briefly explain where in the city these were taken and any other brief relevant information.
This photograph was taken late evening in the first day or two whilst walking through the industrial zone north of the Medina. Its one of many large entrances to industrial complexes on a long wide street adjacent to the city gaol. Its all a little rough and untidy, necessitating a little caution. This doorway looks a little terminal though; I joked that all the wooden bars were applied to keep the jinns inside.
Along the same road as above, horse drawn carriages take shoppers to and from the Medina edge and a large residential area perhaps a mile or so away. Right at the end of the road, close to a large roundabout which was the pick up point by the housing complex, I found the storage depot for the carts. Six adults squeeze into each cart, the fare is 2 dirhams each way, the suspension is terrible and the poor horse is old.
This modern art structure is found just outside of Bab Doukkala, north west end of the Medina. It looks as if the small area here has seen grander days, now it is little more than a rubbish dump. The large brown wall to the left of the installation is the boundary wall of the Mellah. The Atlantic ocean can just be seen in the background.
These murals can be found in the Christian cemetery, just a little further north than the art installation above. They are on the boundary wall behind which is the Atlantic ocean, so I guess that the manta ray and the fishing boat is not wholly incongruous.
This pastoral scene is found in the same Christian cemetery described above. Allie, a friend from Essaouira, told me once that she painted a scene in the cemetery here. Perhaps it was one of these murals.
I was photographing this scene when a nearby shopkeeper approached and told me the story of the blue paint and the spiritual and philosophocal words and motifs which can still be made out if studied closely. An Italian man began renting an apartment locally, but had a breakdown and painted words and designs in blue paint on the walls around that part of the Medina. The police were called and he was detained, whatever illness he had diagnosed and he was transferred back to Italy for treatment. Attempts were ( half-heartedly ) made to paint over the writings both here and on adjacent walls.
This nice mural occupies a wall down by the harbour. Good working class values here!!
This mural is just outside of Bab Doukalla, where a little vegetable market can be found. Following my return to face Moroccan justice for overstaying my visa, I rented a room in a hotel just yards from here. The cost was 70 dirhams per night ( £5 ) and it was not the most salubrious establishment I have ever stayed in. But I do like this mural very much – it seems full of joy and optimism to me, and the colours just scream out at you.
The exterior of a locked garage which specialises in body working. I enjoy the colours and the random nature of words. The windscreen has a bit of attitude too.
I normally try to avoid sacharrine and stereotypical images if I can, but the light here was beautiful and the reflection subtle, organic and gorgeous. I couldnt stop myself. It is a deserted factory beside the sea, again to the north of the Medina.