The harbour & the Sqala
The blue boats, the nets, the bastion set facing the ocean.
Essaouira
Essaouira, through the eye of Rachid Haloui
Long before building villa museum mogador here, Rachid Haloui was photographing Essaouira.
Its harbour, its ramparts, its medina, its architecture, its people, its music, its ocean — and above all that light which is forever remaking the city.
This page is not meant to be one more visitor's guide.
It offers Essaouira through the eye of the man who watched and photographed it over many years — the man who campaigned to protect its heritage and make it known.
The medina
White and blue, behind its ramparts, beneath its century-old ficus.
The music
The Gnaoua & World Music Festival, the trance, and a city living to its own rhythm.
The light
The golden hour over the bay, and the island of Mogador, the last to fade.
A personal archive of old Mogador
A personal archive of old Mogador
The photographs shown here are not mere illustrations of Essaouira. They belong to the eye of Rachid Haloui, architect and photographer, and record his relationship with the city. He wanted to inhabit the city; today it is the city that inhabits him. Architecture, street scenes, heritage, music, ocean and light together make an exceptional archive of old Mogador.
