by Geoff | Oct 18, 2019 | Chefchaouen, Morocco, Sufi, Zaouia
Zaouia, Zawiya (Arabic “corner”), zâwiya, is a Maghrebi and West African term for an Islamic religious school or monastery, roughly corresponding to the Eastern term “madrassa”. The zawiya often contains a pool, and sometimes a fountain. The...
by Geoff | Oct 18, 2019 | Aisha Qandisha, Hamadcha, Meknes, Morocco, Sufi
Walls, town And port, Refuge From death, Gray sea Where breaks The wind All sleeps. In the plain Is born a sound. It is the breathing Of the night. It roars Like a soul That a flame Always follows. The higher voice Seems a shiver. Of a leaping dwarf It is the...
by Geoff | Aug 4, 2019 | Fes, Morocco
“The likeness of those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she taketh unto herself a house, and lo! the frailest of all houses is the spider’s house, if they but knew.” Qu’ran. Paul Bowles’ novel, The...
by Geoff | Jul 29, 2019 | Fes, Madersa, Meknes, Morocco
There are only three religious buildings in Fes and Meknes which can legitimately be visited by non-Muslims. These are the Al-Attarine and the Bounania in Fes, and the Bounania in Meknes. All three buildings are Madrasa, or religious educational buildings, and...
by Geoff | Jul 25, 2019 | Essaouira, Morocco, Street art
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...
by Geoff | Jul 25, 2019 | Essaouira, Juif, Mellah
Much of the available online literature provides a positive description of Jewish/Arabic settlement in Morocco, suggesting a substantial legacy of intra-racial tolerance, accord and cultural harmony. Indeed, Morocco seems to be advertising this positive...
