PHOTO ESSAY Life Fragments @ Marrakesh by José Carlos Costa

LIFE FRAGMENTS @ MARRAKESH JOSÉ CARLOS COSTA

PHOTOGRAPHY

LIFE FRAGMENTS @ MARRAKESH Marrakesh is probably the most important of Morocco's four former imperial cities, i.e. cities that were built by Moroccan Berber empires. With a population of ca. 1 million, it comprises the medina, an old fortified city packed with vendors and their stalls, bordered by modern neighbourhoods and deserts.

Today it is one of the busiest cities in Africa and serves as a major economic centre and tourist destination.

What memories Marrakesh brings…? Chaos and unregulated traffic… spices and Terracotta houses...the souk, Djemaa el fna, and the Koutoubia mosque….

The medina and it’s hidden riads….

Marrakesh is one of those cities that you just can’t love at first sight… Marrakech is everything that I dislike in a city… it is neglected, crowded, noisy, polluted, chaotic and intense… however, as long as you stay the more you felt in love with it… Marrakesh is one of those places whose name, when spoken aloud, conjures up qualities of the city itself.

A magical, mysterious, silken sound that evokes covered souks in a claustrophobic labyrinth of streets and a medina filled with tourists, vendors, cars, scooters, donkeys, camels and just about anything you can think of… ochre-coloured buildings and palm trees… within seconds of entering, expect your senses, and your sanity, to be overwhelmed.

The peace inside few Medina alleys contrasts with the overwhelming Marrakech’s labyrinthine alleyways. Orientation is a foreign word and your map is completely useless. But to experience Marrakesh you need to go with the flow, get lost and every single day you will discover something new. The deeper you walk the more interesting it gets...

Morocco was a chaotic, overwhelming and incredible journey... it was a challenge to visit and to photograph… especially to translate a colourful and warm city in a series of only 20 black-and-white photos… showing every day moments – Life fragments @ Marrakech!

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JOSÉ CARLOS COSTA PHOTOGRAPHY