Category Archives: Morocco

Maison de la Photographie, Marrakech

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from the museum web site www.maisondelaphotographie.ma

from the museum web site

The Maison de la Photographie is a little gem of a museum, which captures a range of Moroccan life through photographs taken 1870-1950, as well as a fascinating 1957 documentary film.

The collection is arranged by region over three levels of a lovely riad in the Marrakech medina. An hour or so spent in the serene galleries and rooftop terrace makes a nice contrast to the intensity of the old city outside. From the café, you have a 360-degree view across the medina to the Atlas Mountains. If you time your café visit to catch the sunset, with the evening call to prayer ringing out over the city, it’s especially magical.

Reasonably priced prints are for sale in the museum shop.

The Maison de la Photographie can be tricky to locate in the medina maze.
A Ya’lla guide will lead you right there.

Click to see Ya’lla tours to Morocco.

NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 83

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Volubilis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in a fertile plain at the foot of the Jbel Zerhoun (jbel = mountain), in the northwest of our mystery country.

From about 300BCE, Volubilis was the capital of the indigenous Berber kingdom of Mauritania. In 44CE, the area became the Roman province of Mauritania, with Volubilis as its capital. As a Roman provincial town, Volubilis was about as far out in the sticks as you could go. Despite this remoteness, it developed into a fine little city. Evidence of large-scale cultivation and processing of grains and olives suggests the area was something of a bread-basket for Rome.

Can you name that country? 
See below for answers.

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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 68

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Tagine is the national food of our mystery country. The name refers both to the clay pot and the dish cooked inside it. The pot consists of a round base with low sides and a conical top. During cooking, condensation is trapped in the conical top and flows back into the base to stew the ingredients there. Cooking can be done over coals, in an oven or on the stove top; the key is low heat for long, slow cooking. There are countless recipes for Tagine, which is really more about the pot and slow-cook method than the ingredients. The Tagine pot acts as a serving dish, as well as a cooker, and traditionally all diners would eat right out of the one dish, using bread to scoop their bites rather than utensils.

Can you name that country? 
See below for answers.

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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 58

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Pictured above is Essaouira, a walled, seaside city on the Atlantic coast of our mystery country. Crystalline light and wide vistas have been attracting visual artists for decades, maybe centuries. Musicians and writers are drawn here too, including Beat poets and 60s rockers. The annual Gnaoua Festival celebrates the sacred music of the, Gnaoua (Gnawa) people, the descendants of slaves brought to Morocco from Sub-Saharan West Africa. Surfers love the near-constant wind, sunbathers, not so much. Besides the wind and music festival, visit for the scenery, the low-key medina and fresh fish.

Can you name that country? 
See below for answers.

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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 53

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The 14th-century Bou Inania medersa (or madrasa) and mosque in the heart of the Fez medina is, historically, one of the most important Koranic schools in our mystery country and one of the few religious places open to non-Muslim visitors.The cool, quiet courtyard and interiors feel worlds away from the mad crush of the surrounding city.
The image above can only hint at the incredible aesthetics of Bou Inania, with its intricately carved cedar and plaster and colorful tiles.

Can you name that country? 
See below for answers.

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How to Visit a Mosque

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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Most Ya’lla Tours itineraries include visits to one or more mosques. These are some of the most exquisite buildings anywhere, must-see sites for their artistry as well as their cultural importance. Like all sacred places, mosques have certain expectations around attire and behavior. Here are some things to know: Continue reading →

Foto Friday – Beaches

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Beach holidays are not our specialty. For the most part, American travelers do not cross the Atlantic ocean to lie on a beach. However, many do work a couple of R&R days into otherwise busy cultural itineraries. In any case, while much of the US is still suffering the epic winter of 2015, we offer this brief, mental escape to gentler climes.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Paradise Beach, Corfu, Greece

Paradise Beach, Corfu, Greece

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NAME THAT COUNTRY Episode 26

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All the clues in this post refer to one Ya’lla Tours destination: Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, or United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).

We’ll show you images of popular tourist sites in our mystery country, along with descriptions of those sites. Continue reading →

WOW Places – Hagia Sophia, Karnak Temple, Sahara Desert

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HAGIA SOPHIA, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) rises like a rust-colored mountain near the end of Istanbul’s Historic Peninsula, overlooking the confluence of the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Strait. The city originated on this peninsula and Hagia Sophia has been there almost since the beginning. OK, that’s not quite true, but it has been there for a very long time. The city originated, as Byzantium, in the 7th century BCE. In the 4th century, the Roman emperor Constantine claimed Byzantium as his capital and renamed the city Constantinople. Constantine was the first Christian emperor of Rome. The building we know as Hagia Sophia was built in 537 CE by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, on the ruins of two previous cathedrals. Hagia Sophia stood as the largest cathedral for almost 1,000 years. The dome spans over 100 feet and is 180 feet high. Upon conquering the city in 1453, Sultan Mehmet II was so impressed with the building, he made it his imperial mosque. The design of many subsequent mosques built in the city was influenced by the Hagia Sophia.

It’s very impressive from the outside but, for me, the real WOW experience happens inside. It’s just so big and wide-open, you really feel like a speck of dust in there. Continue reading →