Sidi Ouasmine  :  The Sultan of Regraga

Sidi Ouasmine : The Sultan of Regraga

The annual pilgrimage around the locality of Essaouira every spring is called ‘ Regraga’,  a name which also describes the group of Chorfa ( a darija word denoting noble religious leaders descending from the Prophet Mohamed otherwise known as Sharif )  who...
I Am He Who I Love

I Am He Who I Love

I Am He Whom I Love  I am He whom I love, and He whom I love is I:  We are two spirits dwelling in one body.  If thou seest me,  thou seest Him,  And if thou seest Him, thou seest us both.   Hussein Ibn Mansur Al Hallaj On the bus recently from Casablanca I was...
Sidi Abdellah ben Ouasmine

Sidi Abdellah ben Ouasmine

Below is a series of photographs documenting the zaouia and mausoleum of sufi Sidi Abdellah ben Ouasmine located in el Hanchane,  a small town in Essaouira Province. Sidi Abdellah ben Ouasmin is the grandson of Sidi Ouasmin,  the Sultan of Regraga,  found near...
Moulay Bouzerktoun

Moulay Bouzerktoun

Some 20 kilometres north of Essaouira is the small village of Moulay Bouzerktoun,  named after the Marabout of the same name.  His mausoleum/zaouia is part of a mosque complex founded on the top of a cliff looking over the Atlantic ocean. Little seems to be known...
Pilgrimage : Moulay Brahim and the Gnaoua

Pilgrimage : Moulay Brahim and the Gnaoua

“You will fly over the ocean,” he continued, “by the power of baraka, the blessing of Sidi Moulay Brahim,  tair lajbal, indicating the spirit bird that flies over the Atlas Mountains” Memoir of a Berber by Hassan Ouakrim The young girl got up from the cushion...
Colour at Jotiya

Colour at Jotiya

Souks and markets are common in Morocco.  Here are some photographs taken late in the day from Jotiya flea market,  north of the Madina at Essaouira,  and next to the Atlantic ocean.                        ...