L'Medina

Marhaban bikum! Welcome to the penthouse view of the Rabat Medina!

This sprawling phenonomenon is like nothing I have ever encountered before. It is a living, breathing, contradiction that sometimes feels like chaos and sometimes seems like magic...a whole world exists within its walls and spills out onto the streets surrounding it. 

The Rabat medina is where I have been living for the past two months, and where I will be for my last 30 days in Morocco. And, in honor of the last 30 days, I decided to walk through the medina (like I do everyday) and take pictures, in an attempt to illustrate a real sense of Medina life, deeper than the touristy areas. 

You will notice that many of the shots are slightly blurred--that is partly due to my novice as a photographer and partly because everything in the Medina is in motion. Goods are changing hands, vendors are pushing through, motorcycles going against the traffic, women brushing past, children weaving in and out of the masses. There is no real time to stop, you just have to move with the current, keep your head up, and your ears open. Y'allah!

Medina in the morning on my way to school. You have to be up early to see the medina this empty, but honestly, it's my favorite time. 

The Kasbah outside the Medina in the afternoon sun. 

Rue des Consuls. The beginning of this street is the definition of what an Oriental medina should be, but it soon loses that touristy sheen...

Natural Lighting.

Looking.

The Youth. We have now gone deeper into the medina, crowded with everyday people doing their everyday routines. Boys hanging around. Women shopping. Vendors working. Small children trying not to get lost. Me, trying to weave through it all. 

Working and watching simultaneaously.

Everybody's favorite doughnut shop.

One of the 982,348,293,420 cats in the Medina. (Not a real number, but you get the idea)

Aaah, Yes! This is how I will remember the medina. People. People everywhere, in every direction.

Vendors taking to the streets.

.

Beware of these carts...they will run you over. 

All along the medina wall, people set up shop on the sidewalk on both sides. They sell anything you can think of. Just don't step on the merchandise.

Mellah. Apparently, one of the 'sketchier' areas within the medina. Should I go in?

The Marina outside the medina. Undeniably my favorite place in Rabat.

Boys. Movement. Youth. Friendship. Freedom. 

A Boy and his City.

The Marina at Sunset

Even in the chaos, you can always find a place to buy a drink, sit, get comfortable, and watch it all unfold before you. 

By midnight, the packed streets are completely empty again, as if nothing was ever there. (Except for the occasional motorcycle screech, a sharp yell, or rustling of cats)

And it begins again . . .