The harbour & the Sqala
The blue boats, the nets, the bastion set facing the ocean.
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, photographed and interpreted it over many years.
The blue boats, the nets, the bastion set facing the ocean.
White and blue, behind its ramparts, beneath its century-old ficus.
The Gnaoua festival, the trance, and a city that does not sleep for a week.
The golden hour over the bay, and the island of Mogador, the last to fade.
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. Architecture, street scenes, heritage, music, ocean and light together make a personal archive of Mogador.