A treasure of unique photos…. Marrakech a generation or two ago….

A treasure of unique photos….
Maison de la Photographie in the medina of Marrakech is definitely worth the visit - here some snapshots of old Marrakech.

Caravan in the Palmeraie Marrakech

Henri Regnault Portrait of a slave 1870

Snake charmer in Place Jemaa el Fna' Marrakech

Unknown man Marrakech

Bab el Majlis Marrakech and some mosque minarets circa 1920

Pottery merchant Fes

Popular storyteller Casablanca - circa 1920

These photos are so beautiful and special. There are not many old photos from the very old days of Morocco. I have written before about the museum ”Maison de la photography” in Marrakech. If you are maybe one day in Marrakech you have to go. The owner, a French man, has collected a treasure of unique photos. I love old pictures, but because there are so less of these kind of photos, they are extra special.

http://lifestyle-from-amsterdam-to-marrakech.com/2012/11/14/a-treasure-of-unique-photos/

Entrance tickets are very reasonable, 40 dirhams, last time I was there and you can use them more than once.

Maison de la Photographie must have the highest roof terrace in Marrakech with a really fantastic view over the medina and the Atlas mountains in the distance. Well worth a visit.

All photos are owned by Maison de la Photographie, Marrakech

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Come and stay with us when you come to Marrakech - that beguiling, exotic city in North Africa

Jemaa’ el Fna – the restaurant at the end of the world

Marrakech’s iconic spot – Place Jemaa’ el Fna

Camel’s head, sheep’s testicle, calf’s feet and plenty less exotic treats – all to be had at Marrakech’s famous open-air restaurant.     

 

We are pleased to publish this fascinating article on Marrakech's most famous spot - by guest blogger Derek Workman.

In 2008, Paula Wolfert’s book, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, won the Cookbook Hall Of Fame award, twenty-five years after its publication. At the time, Moroccan cuisine would probably have seemed pretty exotic. These days fancy food trucks and posh catering carts may be blocking the highways in Europe and the US, but Morocco’s biggest street food heaven hasn’t moved in a thousand years.
Jmaa el Fna, The Place of the Dead, The Mosque at the End of the World, North Africa’s most vibrant and exotic square, the ancient heart of Marrakech, where snake charmers, storytellers and acrobats entertain the passing crowds. By day the bustle of henna artists, potion sellers, fresh orange juice vendors and red-robed water sellers; by night the curling smoke of a hundred barbeques spirals over the largest open-air restaurant in the world.

When dusk falls, handcarts are wheeled into Jmaa el Fna and unfolded to reveal portable grills, tables, benches, pots and pans. While the mounds of food are prepared young men in long white coats work the crowds trying to convince you that the succulent dishes served at their stall are the absolutely top-notch best; “Delilah Smith created our menu”, “All our fish comes fresh from Sainsbury’s”. And Sainsbury’s would probably be proud of the fish the stalls served, dipped in flour seasoned with salt and saffron before being deep-fried in bubbling oil until crisp and golden.

There are stalls to fit every taste and pocket; a bowl of harira, a traditional rich tomato and lentil soup with beef or chicken, seasoned with ginger, pepper, and cinnamon, or b’sarra, white bean soup with olive oil and garlic; add a sandwich served in a khobz, a small, round flat loaf with the top nipped off to form a pocket, filled with freshly deep-fried slices of liver dribbled with a green chilli sauce, or a hand-full of merguez, thin spicy sausages, and you will be set up for a stroll around the souks. (Keep an eye open for the really esoteric mixture of merguez, hard-boiled egg and tuna fish.)

Kebabs shops appear on almost every street corner around the globe these days, but in Marrakech vendors snub the effete pressed meat served elsewhere in favour of slices of real lamb, glistening with dribbling fat, sprinkled with cumin and salt as the cook hands it over to you wrapped in a paper cone. Chicken with preserved lemons, delicately spiced with kasbour (fresh green coriander) and served with piquant olives; brochettes of lamb and liver, seasoned with red pepper and cumin, carefully grilled over charcoal, which spits and smokes as the luscious fats fall on to it; beef or lamb tajines, cooked with raisins, prunes and almonds, have their conical tops whisked off by the waiters, just as the lids of elegant silver salvers would be at the Savoy. (Although you may want to leave the tajine of sheep’s or calf’s feet and the sliced camel’s head to the locals to enjoy, and it would take a certain amount of culinary courage to sample a cooked sheep’s head or bowl of sheep’s testicles – cooked, of course.)

On the west side of the square, a row of chefs steam mounds of snails in battered enamel bowls. The menu is simple, snails or snails, but as the little gastropods served in a tantalizing broth are a gastronomic institution in Morocco, it isn’t always easy to get a seat at these stalls. Apparently wonderful for the digestion, locals drain the broth after having their fill of the snails. (They also often carry a safety pin to wheedle the little devils out, but a toothpick is usually provided.)

Vegetarians might not savour their best gastronomic experience, but it can delicious. Hard-boiled eggs are chopped and mashed with potatoes, with the inevitable sprinkle of cumin, (served alongside salt and pepper on every stall). Bright vegetable salads, glistening piles of savoury chick peas spiked with fresh-ground black pepper or bowls of lentil stew cooked with finely chopped onion and garlic; fried aubergine with a hot green pepper served alongside a pile of fresh cut and fried potatoes, all washed down with a glaringly orange Fanta.

Young boys man-handle small handcarts or struggle with large wooden trays laden with glistening sweetmeats through the densely packed crowds. Delectable as the pastries may look, aren’t always that sweet. If your taste is for fruit for dessert, try, carmose, prickly pear, and the vendor will carefully remove the skin for you.

For a simple wandering snack, strings of sfenj donuts are held together by a strip of leaf to make carrying easier. They are delicious with a coffee, and come either sweet (with egg beaten into the batter) or savoury. Also useful for a back-up snack on long journeys.

If you haven’t washed your meal down with a drink at the stall, a glass of fresh orange juice will be squeezed before your eyes at one of the many carts around the edge of the square. You might also find raisin, pistachio and pomegranate juice, which have a mysterious flavour of their own. The Technicolor yogurts sold in big glasses look more off-putting that delectable, but raib, a home-made yoghurt with a milkshake consistency slides down the throat deliciously.

The beautiful chaos of the food stalls is entertainment in its own right, but when you have eaten your fill there is still the raucous street entertainment of Jmaa el Fna to keep you from your bed.


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Maison de la Photographie Marrakech

MAISON DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE IN MARRAKECH, close to Riad Chi-Chi

Tucked away near Medersa Ben Youssef, a relatively new museum offers a unique perspective of Morocco, and it's well worth a look. The "Maison de la Photographie" first opened its doors in April, 2009 and isn't as well-known as it really should be, yet. Housed in a gorgeous fondouk, or caravan boarding house, the extensive photography collection is truly impressive.
The collection was assembled by Hamid Mergani and Patrick Manac’h and includes 5000 photos and 2000 glass plates, which were collected over a period of nearly fourteen years from the archives of the French Protectorate.  The images cover the period 1862 through 1950 and offer a rare glimpse of Moroccan life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The photos themselves are impressive feats in the early art of photography. The life they depict is an intensely interesting portrait of Moroccan history.
A warm welcome awaits you upon entering. Staff at the museum will take a few minutes to explain what is currently on display, and can do so in a number of languages.  Then you are welcome to meander through the museum viewing the gorgeous collection at your leisure.
Take time and wander the museum's galleries, spread over the fondouk's three floors and sunny inner courtyard.  Exhibits are organized thematically and change every two to three months. Next to each photo is an information plaque. Notice the year each photo was taken and marvel at the similarities between then and now --Morocco still celebrates many of the same cultural traditions as fifty, eighty or even one hundred years ago.  Near the entrance of each gallery you'll find another plaque, only in French, that gives insight into the exhibit.  Non-French speakers can ask questions of the friendly and knowledgeable staff who are well versed in what is on display.
On the third floor visitors will find a media lounge showing films about the Berber people of the High Atlas. The documentaries, shot by Daniel Chicult in 1957, are the first color movies filmed in the High Atlas. The films, called "Landscapes and Faces of the High Atlas", play on continuous loop and offer a rich and colorful view of Berber daily life and festivities.
Finally, head up to the terrace on the top floor. Here you will find an amazing view of the entire medina and a small cafe offering teas, coffees, juices and light lunch options.  Relax, enjoy the view and a new perspective on Moroccan life.

Price of Entry: 40 dirhams, free for children under sixteen. You can also go back using the same ticket.
Hours: Everyday from 9:30 until sunset
http://www.maisondelaphotographie.ma
maisondelaphotographie@gmail.com   
Address: 46 Rue Ahel Fes, Marrakech medina, 40000
Telephone: +212 5 24 38 57 21

Source: http://www.vmvmarrakech.com/?option=com_k2&view=item&id=53:maison-de-la-photographie&Itemid=53&lang=en