The Mellah of Fes, Morocco

Marty CohenMorocco3 Comments

A Mellah (pronounced “mellach”) is a walled Jewish quarter of a city in Morocco in which Jews were forced to live beginning in the 15th century. By the 19th century, conditions there were miserable for them. However, with the colonization and arrival of Europeans at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, the Mellah, and the Moroccan Jewish population were given new economic and social possibilities.

Since 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel, almost all Moroccan Jews have emigrated to Israel. Now, the Mellah is inhabited by Moroccan Muslims.
(refs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellah)
(https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Fez.html)

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Clouds Over Fes

Marty CohenMorocco10 Comments

(To see the most detail in this image, click on it to enlarge it!)

Clouds Over Fes

A view of a hillside in Fes, Morocco

Our next location was Fes, the third largest city in Morocco. It has a population of approximately 1 million (as of 2010). The city has two old medinas, the larger of which is Fes El Bali which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and believed to be one of the world’s largest “car-free urban areas.” (ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fes) The experience of walking through the medina was just amazing, and there will be photos coming.

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens, 1/640 sec at f/14, ISO 250 captured on a Lexar 400x SDXC UHS-1 memory card

Blue Walls and Doors of Rabat

Marty CohenMorocco4 Comments

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This post is a bit out of chronological order since we were in Rabat before we came to the Volubilis Ruins, but I wanted to show these beautiful blue walls and doors before moving on to Fes. We walked the streets of Rabat through residential areas, down interesting narrow streets and just loved the blue walls and doors we saw there. It was especially fun to find the “phone booth” as well.

Ruins at Volubilis

Marty CohenMorocco, Ruins5 Comments

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The last image I posted was a panoramic view of the Basilica of Volubilis and it gives you a broad view of the major ruins there. The gallery above demonstrates some of the detail including that of the columns, the stork’s nest on top of a column and one of the magnificent tiled floors that remain intact at Volubilis. An interesting fact mentioned by our friend Sean was that Martin Scorsese used the ruins of the Basilica as a filming location in the Last temptation of Christ.

Basilica of Volubilis

Marty CohenMorocco, Ruins3 Comments

(To see the most detail in this image, click on it to enlarge it!)

Basilica of Volubilis

The Basilica of Volubilis, in the site of the ancient Roman city

Just north of Meknes is the archeological site of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded in the 3rd Century B.B. and was an important outpost of the Roman Empire. It’s been described by UNESCO as “one of the richest sites of this period in North Africa.” “The archaeological site of Volubilis is an outstanding example of a town bearing witness to an exchange of influences since High Antiquity until Islamic times.” “These influences testify to Mediterranean, Libyan and Moor, Punic, Roman and Arab-Islamic cultures as well as African and Christian cultures. They are evident in the urban evolution of the town, the construction styles and architectural decorations and landscape creation.” (ref: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/836)

The basilica was built around 217 A.D. It was used for the administration of justice and the governance of the city. Completed in the early 3rd century, it is one of the finest Roman basilicas in Africa. (ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volubilis). It was a very impressive structure to walk around and photograph. Make sure you click on this image to enlarge it.

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens, 1/400 sec at f/14, ISO 160 captured on a Lexar 400x SDXC UHS-1 memory card