Midnight at the Oasis in Morocco
A first shared journey overseas, from Casablanca to Marrakech: a Morocco photo essay of desert light, ancient places and intricate tilework.
This was my first overseas holiday with my best friend. We travelled from Casablanca through Fez, Moulay Idriss and Volubilis, on to the Sahara near Merzouga, then Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou, before finally reaching Marrakech.
The Sahara, Majorelle Gardens and Morocco’s intricate Islamic-influenced tilework were the highlights. While it was my friend’s first time riding a camel, I was able to call on my experience (of a few hours) in Egypt more than a decade earlier.
I will always treasure the memory of waking very early and walking in the desert before anyone else was up. It was blissfully quiet and I was surprised to notice a fine dew resting on the sand. Standing there in the half-light, I felt a simple, deep gratitude and I collected a small glass bottle of sand for my favourite six-year-old and made a video for my other favourite.
After the organised tour, we stayed on in a lovely riad in Marrakech, lingering over excellent French food as a precursor to our upcoming visit to Occitane.
You might also like:
→ Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech
→ Some of my favourite Islamic sites
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
