Category: Morocco

Behind the doors of Essaouira

Posted in Morocco, Photologues, TravelLeave a comment
#morocco, #travel, #africa, #essaouira, #doors, #travelphotography, #photography, #culture, #citylife,

Behind every door is a story waiting to be told.

Can a door to a house tell you more about the people living behind it? Can it represent a person? Can it frame the essence of the family living in it? Can it tell you a story? As I walked through the back alleys of Essaouira’s medina, I saw the the most prettiest doors to the houses, some lived in, some abandoned. It begged to me frame these few questions every time I clicked a door and helped me tell story to myself every time I sighted a pretty door.

To create the stories behind the door, one has to understand the origins of Essaouira. The city is a cultural confluence, the seamless co-existence of the old and the new. The fortified ramparts of the port city (Mogador in medieval times) and the blue moored fishing boats impart the old world charm whereas the clean well kept and cobblestoned medina is bustling with art galleries, boutiques and cafes that speaks of the modern essence of the city. The confluence is a heady mix, transporting you to an allure of an European city but pulling you back every moment with the sights and sounds of an Arabic city, be it with delicacies lining the streets or the soothing prayers playing over the loudspeakers of a few mosques’ dotting the medina. The hues of blue and white of the medina makes it an unmistakable fishing/ port town. Be it with the blue fishing boats moored on the port or the blue doors set against white limestone washed walls, the city is all blue and white – calming and relaxing.

As I let my imagination run wild, below are some of the stories that popped in my head when I saw these doors.  Behind every door was a story waiting to be told.

 

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A rich sailor concerned about uninvited people. The anchor, metal grills and camera security make it very alluring.

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A Family that travels a lot? Cactuses don’t need watering
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A traditional patriarch with a joint family? The intricate carvings and mosaics are very old.
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A working class family with aspirations? The randomly pieced together mosaics signals it.
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The carved wood and broad doors makes this look like a home of a rich, very inviting, large hearted family.
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A well kept summer home?
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How would they manage the rains flowing under the low lying door?
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Looks like a abandoned house. No door bulb and broken handle and grafitti right outside the entrance.

DSC_1562

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A middle class welcoming family with coffee on the stove all day long for guests?
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A wood carpenter’s workshop. Just as I guessed, the bent over man sat up and covered his face.

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An old man living alone and craving for some company over coffee and crowd spotting.

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A poor man’s workshop?
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A permanently shut workshop now housing cats.
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This was a jewish Synagogue.

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This is a hammam.
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an artist in exile? perhaps he started his gallery from his home with his very alluring door.
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An artiste’s abandoned home?