A gallery of outstanding cosmic abstract graffiti writing from Marckinetic.
Instagram: @marckinetic
All photographs by Scooj
Marckinetic
Tag: Photography
Thursday doors – 6 November 2025 – Marrakesh doors – The Saadian Tombs
Doors 331 – Doors of the Saadian Tombs, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part XI).
On arrival at our Riad Hotel in the Medina, the staff were very keen to point out all the ‘must visit’ places which we could visit during our stay. The closest, perhaps a ten-minute walk, was the Saadian Tombs.
My apologies to you all, but I have resorted to the Interweb to provide a short description of the Saadian Tombs:
The Saadian Tombs are one of the city’s most remarkable historical monuments, reflecting the grandeur of the Saadian dynasty that ruled from 1549 to 1659. Hidden for centuries and rediscovered in 1917, the tombs were built by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur to house members of the royal family and his successors. The complex is renowned for its exquisite Islamic architecture, blending Andalusian and Moroccan styles.
Its chambers are adorned with intricate stucco work, colourful zellij tile mosaics, finely carved cedar wood ceilings, and marble columns imported from Italy. The most famous section, the Hall of the Twelve Columns, features the sultan’s own tomb surrounded by others, symbolizing both royal power and the Saadian dynasty’s devotion to artistry and craftsmanship. Today, the tombs stand as a beautifully preserved testament to Morocco’s rich architectural and cultural heritage.
The rooms of the tombs were not accessible and many of the photographs were taken standing at the entrances, leaning into the rooms. It is definitely a fascinating site and worth putting on your itinerary if you happen to be visiting Marrakesh. I hope you enjoy the doors and architecture:
There was a rather nice ambience in the Saadian Tombs, and as it was early in the year, there weren’t too many tourists and not much queuing at all. Next time I’ll share some more of the bustling streets and souks. 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.
Mutatee
A gallery of small installations from the wonderful artist Mutatee. I’m not too sure if she is still active, and these pieces are from a few years ago.
Instagram: @mutatee_
All photographs by Scooj
Thursday doors – 30 October 2025 – Marrakesh doors
Doors 330 – Doors and Minarets of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part X)
One of the things that is most notable in Marrakesh is the absence of any high-rise buildings due to a law that prohibits any structures from being taller than the Koutoubia Mosque minaret, which stands at 77 meters in height. There are other additional cultural and aesthetic reasons for this approach, and the outcome is that the third floors of most restaurants, shops and houses are open-air, affording views across the whole city and beyond.
This week’s selection of door pictures includes the Koutoubia Mosque minaret and the famous Jemaa el-Fna the main square in the medina, where food and refreshment stalls occupy space adjacent to snake charmers and hawkers of one sort or another. The square only really comes to life in the evenings, when it is a thriving mix of locals and tourists taking advantage of the cooler temperatures.
I hope you enjoy this week’s selection:
In the last photograph, you can see the walls of the mosque propped up following the devastating earthquake in September 2023. That’s it for this week. More from Marrakesh next time.
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.
Thursday doors – 23 October 2025 – Marrakesh doors – Bahia Palace
Doors 329 – Doors of Marrakesh, Bahia Palace, Morocco, January 2025 (Part IX)
I wrote this last night as I have been exiled to the study – my wife is hosting book club ‘film night’ – can you believe it?… just another excuse to chat, eat and drink, I reckon. They read The Salt Path as their last book, (I am actually reading it at the moment) and so of course they are watching the film to complete the circle. I, instead, will get ahead of myself, preparing tomorrow’s blog posts…
This week there is a slight change from the Marrakesh posts so far, the doors in this selection are all from the Bahia Palace. At this point, I am getting lazy, and have commissioned ChatGPT to write me a paragraph about Bahia Palace – the following is my question and ChatGPT’s response:
Me: Give me a one paragraph synopsis of the Bahia Palace in Morocco to put into my blog post about doors
ChatGPT: The Bahia Palace in Marrakesh, Morocco, is a stunning example of 19th-century Moroccan architecture, renowned for its intricate craftsmanship and opulent design. Built to showcase the wealth and influence of Grand Vizier Si Moussa, the palace features elaborately carved wooden doors, vibrant zellige tilework, and hand-painted cedar ceilings. The doors of the Bahia Palace are particularly striking—each one a unique blend of geometric precision and Andalusian flair, reflecting the diverse cultural influences of Morocco. These ornate entrances not only connect rooms and courtyards but also serve as artistic statements, embodying the palace’s spirit of grandeur and meticulous detail.
I’m reasonably happy with that, and it has saved me time synthesising content from several websites and replicating it here, and I did my ‘heavy lifting’ taking the photographs in the first place. I hope you enjoy the pictures from the palace:
The Marrakesh door saga continues next time, and I am sorry to say will continue for a few more weeks yet, but there are some excursions worth waiting for.
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.
Abbie Laura Smith
A gallery of wonderful paste-ups from Abbie Laura Smith, one of Bristol’s only wheatpasters. Thoughtful and full of emotion.
Instagram: @abbielaurasmith.art
All photographs by Scooj
Thursday doors – 16 October 2025 – Marrakesh doors
Doors 328 – Doors of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part VIII)
I have been a little all over the place lately, and just returned from a few days fishing in Cornwall. I also have to go in to the office tomorrow, something of a rarity, so I am getting ahead of myself by writing this post last night.
These are the last few doors in Marrakesh from an early morning doorscursion on my own, during a short period of light drizzle. These street doors here resemble many of the doors I have already featured, but include some open gateways as I approached the Souk area. Next week things get a little bit different, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this selection:
I guess this is about the halfway stage of doors from Marrakesh, and so far all of the doors have been residences or shops. The next few selections will be from sites and places of interest that we visited during our stay, although the odd street door will be making appearances from time to time. May I wish you a fabulous 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.
Thursday doors – 9 October 2025 – continuing Marrakesh doors
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:
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.
Thursday doors – 2 October 2025 – back to Marrakesh doors
Doors 326 – Doors of Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025 (Part VI)
Things have returned to something resembling normal this week after our wonderful week away in Madeira. I have found a little time to resume with some doors of Marrakesh. These doors were photographed during a solo doorscursion in what was the only wet morning of our trip to the red city.
At first, when I look at these I think that it is all a bit repetitive, and then I see that each of these doors is unique. Nothing mass-produced here. It is as if the industrial revolution never happened. I hope you enjoy this week’s selection.
More doors (sounds Tolkeinesque) from Marrakesh next time. I wish you a happy 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.
Dun Sum
A superb gallery of wonder-beasts by Lawrence Weston artist Dun Sum.
Instagram: @dun_sum
All photographs by Scooj
Natural adventures 