Your photos of Morocco (page 2 of 11)

.... Ahmed Chaoki's fantastic Oasis....

You just told me about Ahmed Chaoki’s passing. I’d often exchanged messages with him. Such sadness. And now it’s been vandalized. Do you have the date of his death?

Fint Oasis—a pleasant and welcoming stop in 2012

Hi there,

First, a real crush—or even love at first sight—for Morocco: the Icht/Foum El Hassan region and its iconic mountain, Jebel Bani. For accommodation, Borj Biramane is a peaceful haven—comfortable, very clean, and with excellent food.

I can’t even imagine just spending one night in this region anymore; it’d be too frustrating. So I stay several nights, and I don’t really see myself heading south without stopping here.



The different lounges there are incredibly welcoming.



As for the places, Jebel Bani is, to me, a mesmerizing mountain—stretching hundreds of kilometers—but in this region, it has a beauty that pulls me in like a magnet. So I love walking through the savannas that border the Jebel. My favorite months: February and March because the light is unique. As soon as the sun starts to set, the colors and atmosphere become incredible. This region relaxes me, soothes me—I forget everything, and every time, I come away with an energy that surprises me. A few sunsets in Icht, but there are also sunrises, not to mention the totally stunning starry sky.









Later, another crush—this time, a seaside one. Have a great evening!

For you, I just looked through my photos from 2012—I’d completely forgotten about these beautiful landscapes I discovered on backroads.

The track? Wouldn’t that be today’s R104 heading down to Icht? Back in 2013, I’d given up going too far (rental car), but now the tarmac is everywhere.

We were a little higher up than Tinghir—what an oversight not to have noted the places!...

.... Ahmed Chaoki's fantastic Oasis....

You’re telling me Ahmed Chaoki passed away. I often exchanged messages with him. Such sadness. And now it’s been vandalized. Do you have the date of his death?

I discovered his work in 2011 (I’m passionate about "Outsider Art"). I went back to see him in 2012. A magical place, a man of great kindness—he worked alone with his modest means, offering me tea under the argan tree that served as his workshop. Last November, I was back in the area. I found the site abandoned, statues smashed with a sledgehammer, shards of glass everywhere... I asked the kids hanging around for an explanation, but they didn’t know. It was the receptionist at the Hôtel des Amandiers, where we went for a drink that same evening, who told me he had died. He fell in the mountains about two years ago... I took quite a few photos to preserve a record because I don’t hold out much hope for its survival. I can send them to you if you’d like.

I’d taken a lot of photos of the site myself—outsider art really draws me in, and the guy was so compelling. I even got tea and a ton of explanations about water, plus a bit of a mystical spiel, which you often hear from outsider-art practitioners. If it’s been two years, I’d have to check my photos, but I think I took some just before he passed away. Last year, I didn’t stop, but I hadn’t noticed the damage. Thanks for reminding me of his work.

Hi Beatrice,

What are you using to take photos?

Y.

Ahmed Chaoki's Oasis. Tafraoute. November 2019.

I’m in the middle of preparing the same kind of post where I wanted to share a little thread about my favorite spots... You beat me to it...😎

So I’ll contribute with this one since you’re the reason it exists if you remember...

My smartphone... not great, but I opted for this solution for the sake of light luggage and simplicity. I take photos mainly to share them, and the smartphone seems ideal for that.

A place I really like: Tarfaya



Let’s grab a drink at the Aeropostale pilots’ bar. Stopover at Tarfaya Cap Juby (just behind the little Saint-Exupéry museum)

The stopover. Under restoration. The work seems to be dragging on.

Actually, I found your photos really interesting and was just wondering how you managed to blur the edges 🙂.

Special Shanghai and the lion .😉 You nailed the body—I just added the head.

Where is it?

Pure chance

Hi, After the Lion, the Turtle!

Razul

The famous lion's head, at the exit of Tafraout on the road to Agadir in the Almennes Valley. Le Lesk. Less known than the blue rocks, but very difficult to photograph—it's the shadows that define the features. I don’t have any good shots of it.

You think these are fossils?🤔🤔

After the Ait Mansour gorges, a modern gate at the entrance to the Tizerkine gorges.