Early Morning In The Marrakech Medina

A Private Photography Walk with Omar (February 11, 2023)

We found Omar’s tour on Air B&B Experiences. He is a local Photographer who offers two types of private experiences: You as the Photographer or You As the Model. Apparently, he makes a decent living doing photoshoots of Instagramers in the exotic settings of Marrakech. I think you can guess which tour we chose.

We were scheduled for 8:00 AM, so our Riad served us breakfast early (of course they did). Omar arrived before first light and off we went. Omar explained Street Photography etiquette in Morocco. I had been hesitant about it, not wanting to go against the cultural norms. Omar said it is fine to photograph the architecture, and if people happen to enter your frame, that’s fine too. A quick, unobtrusive shot of someone is fine; just don’t be sticking a camera in their face while you adjust your settings. The artisans and Medina workers we would be meeting have a relationship with Omar; he has paid them for welcoming us to their space.

Early morning is quiet in the Medina. Walking is much more tranquil than later in the day. The souk keepers are slowly setting up shop and drinking their morning tea. The morning light is soft.

Look who walked into my frame! Remember to double click if you want a larger image.

Our first official stop was a bakery. We entered a cave-like space where one baker was forming loaves of fresh dough and placing them onto large wooden paddles for his colleague to bake in the roaring wood burning fire. We ate fresh warm bread while we watched the process. It smelled fantastic in there!

We resumed our walk, and Omar pointed out the neighborhood hammam. The hammam is the public steam bath. In Muslim culture, people visit the baths on a regular basis. Men and women have separate hammam hours. The experience involves three steam rooms of varying temperatures, scrubbing the skin with black soap, applying argan oil to the skin, and relaxing in a cooler room.

After explaining the importance of the hammam in Moroccan culture, Omar took us into another cave-like space. There was a gentleman living there, who we assumed (wrongly) was homeless and squatting in the space. He immediately offered me his seat and served us hot mint tea and bread with oil. It turns out, he is responsible for keeping the fire that heats the pipes that make the steam for the hammam. That fire needs to burn continuously. We watched him tend his fire, and then he played his traditional Moroccan guitar and sang for us. What a beautiful person!

After our visit, we headed back out to the Medina, where the souks were opening up. We visited some artisans: a metalworker, a blade sharpener, a carpet warehouse, some artists’ workshops, and a spice and pigment store. Omar continually assured us that we did not need to buy anything, but we couldn’t resist a few items. I’m not sure why I need a pounded gold dish with a camel motif, but in that moment, I had to have it. Bill bought some tea glasses, almost bought a painting, and we did a little damage in the spice, soap, pigment, etc. shop.

We ended our tour by enjoying a rooftop brunch with Omar. He is a delightful conversationalist and speaks perfect English. I am continually impressed by the language skills of so many Moroccans. It is a privilege to spend time with local citizens and definitely one of the joys of travel.

I’ll just leave you with some more photos of the Medina.

Join Me Next Time for Adventures In A Hot Air Balloon and a Tuk-Tuk.