Doors 327 – Doors of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part VII)
This week’s selection of door photographs continues on from last week’s solo doorscursion which I managed to squeeze in on one of the mornings of our trip, accompanied on the way by a little light rain.
One of the things that is notable about doors in Marrakesh is that it would seem that the occupants are extremely proud of their doors and door surroundings. Even though the streets are a little untidy with exposed wires and power lines, everywhere and an abundance of dust and rubble, much of it probably after effects of the destructive earthquake in September 2023, great care is taken to present a good-looking entrance to homes and businesses. Enjoy the doors:
Gateway to the traditional arts area, Route Sidi Boudchich, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Keyhole gateway, Route Sidi Boudchich, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Trash, cat, door, Route Sidi Boudchich, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Door within an industrial gate, Route Sidi Boudchich, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Stunning green panelled door and wall decorations to match, Trik Tikhizrit, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Fine studded door, with red surround, Trik Tikhizrit, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Studded patterned door and beautiful decorative tiles, Trik Tikhizrit, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Studded metal door within a door (for little people), Derb Bougaldone, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Old brick gateway, Derb Bougaldone, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Classic wooden door with large bolt and keyhole doorway, Rue Douar Graoua, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
As a note to myself, I will probably do a post of the Marrakesh cats (and a door or two) and some other street scenes at some point, to give more of a taste of the place. I hope you have a great weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post.
Doors 323 – Doors of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part IV)
For those of you who have been following this series of doors from Marrakesh, this week’s offering might feel a little bit ‘samey’, as they are more doors from the narrow lanes in the southern end of the Medina in Marrakesh. This whole area is enough to drive a door enthusiast into meltdown. It seems that each and every door is unique and very personal to the dwelling behind it, unlike in the suburbs of British (and other) towns and cities, where uniformity is more the norm.
Most of these doors were all photographed during an early morning walk on my own, which meant I didn’t need to tone down my enthusiasm to appease my wife and daughter, who get a little tired of my incessant fascination with doors. Keywords – Pinky-red walls, carvings, unique. I hope you enjoy them:
Narrow street and archway, Derb Benzina, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Tall slim studded door and doorway, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Plain door with bold and padlock and motorcycle, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Three different sized doors, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Door to the Didi Spa, Rue Bab Agnaou, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Roof garden at ther Restaurant Al Khayma, Rue Bab Agnaou, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Kasbah Cafe entrance and door, Rue de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025A pair of doors, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025A studded door with two door knockers, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Beautifully crafted gate in front of a door, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Archway entrance at the south of the Medina, Tariq Makhzen, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
So that’s it for another week. If you miss this, it doesn’t really matter, because there is plenty more to come in the coming weeks. My only hope it that it doesn’t get too boring – although things do hot up a bit before too long.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post.
Doors 322 – Doors of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part III)
This week’s selection of doors were taken in the backstreets in the southern part of the Medina. Front doors are often quite fancy and elaborate, and might be the only sign that there is a dwelling at all. Many houses don’t even have windows facing out onto the street, and so the door becomes an important statement.
The narrow labyrinthine streets area wonderful pinky red colour, but quite imposing and stark, punctuated by these amazing doors. Occasionally you get to peek behind a door that might be open or ajar, and a beautiful, colourful, often tiled interior awaits.
This selection includes a range of different styles and sizes of doors, each one special in its own way. I hope you enjoy them:
A pair of markedly different doors side by side and a lamp shadow, Derb Oualidine, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Metal door and plant pot, Derb Oualidine, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Tiled portico, stone surround, tile decorations, carved wooden frame, studded doors and two beautiful cats, this door has it all, Ksibt Nhass, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Is this a door within a door? Ksibt Nhass, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025A step up to a beautiful carved wooden door and frame, Ksibt Nhass, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Blue door with a face, Derb Oualidine, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Grand doorway with tiled portico and stunning carved door and surround, Ksibt Nhass, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Door gate, Ksibt Nhass, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Symmetry and tiles on this door of Riad Les Reves de Marrakech, Rue Errachidia, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025A nicely decorated metal door, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
More of the same next time, although I hope to provide a bit more context around these doors to provide more of a sense of place. While these backstreets were generally fairly quiet, some of the more touristy places were so full of bustle, and I hope to get this across in posts to come. That’s it for now, have a great weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post.
Doors 320 – Doors of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part I)
In January this year, my wife and I decided to enjoy a winter break in Marrakesh, as we were desperate for some sun after a poor summer in 2024. Key to our choice of destination was that we could fly from Bristol airport, which just makes things so much easier for us. We brought our daughter along with us too, as she was on a break from University.
We hadn’t done too much research before the trip and were open to a wholly new experience. I had been to Egypt many years ago when I was in my late teens, but otherwise North Africa was something of a mystery to be discovered.
Marrakesh is a busy, dusty, and ancient city, with an incredible culture and heritage, and although our stay was short, we took in so many sights and activities. Of course, we were presented with thousands of doors, and in all my travels in the UK and abroad, I don’t think I have seen so many doors worthy of sharing on Thursday Doors. I expect this is going to be a long series of posts from Marrakesh.
In this first post, I will start with our hotel called Les Borjs de la Kasbah, a riad (a traditional, multi-story house or palace built around a central courtyard or garden), which was located at the south of the Medina, the old walled part of the city.
Floor plan of Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
This hotel had been lovingly restored over a period of four years by local craftsmen from a complex of six small town houses (dars) and one riad. The restoration included traditional doors and balcony windows, as well as tiles, fountains and other details. I hope you enjoy this collection of doors and get a small sense of the traditional style of the riad.
Small courtyard off the main courtyard, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Restored bedroom door,Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Storage room door, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025A room that opens into the central courtyard, Les Borjs del la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Another room that opens onto the courtyard – not a door in sight, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025A third sitting room opening into the courtyard (ignore the TV, we did), Les Borjs del la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025The main courtyard with plenty of doorways, just no doors, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Second floor stairway to the roof garden, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Roof garden view with the Atlas Mountains in the distance, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025The swimming pool area, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Stunningly recreated balcony windows overlooking the pool, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
This has been a deliberately gentle introduction to Marrakesh before getting into some hard core doors over the coming weeks. The hotel was the perfect base for some lengthy walks, mostly northwards, to some of the tourist hotspots, but the long walks meant that there were an awful lot of back streets and doors to get through on the way.
I thought I’d leave you with an earworm, that naturally I have in my head, because of the district we stayed in. Rock the Kasbah!
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post.
Natural adventures 