Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
Outside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
From the outside the mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco is another beautiful building – there is no shortage of beautiful architecture in these great cities.
Once you move inside however, the level of beauty rises to another level entirely. It is magnificent. Words do not do it justice, so I’ll let my camera do the talking.
Inside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
Inside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
What is inside those windows?
Windows in the Kasbah des Oudaias, Rabat, Morocco
Whenever we travel, whether that be here in Australia, or in exotic places like Spain or Morocco, I am fascinated by the amazing variety of architectural styles. In many cases I am moved to take photos – if time permits. In addition to the general style of each building, I also take an interest in the various embellishments people make to their homes or other forms of buildings.
On our visit to Rabat in Morocco we were on a guided tour through the twisted lanes and narrow streets of the Kasbah de Oudaias. This pair of windows made me stop and take a photo.
Immediately the writer in me checked in: who lived behind these windows? What was their story? What tales of love, loss or delight could they tell? I guess I’ll never know; I’ll just have to write my own story.
Royal Palace, Rabat, Morocco
Royal Palace, Rabat, Morocco
On our short visit to the capital of Morocco, we briefly stopped in front of the Royal Palace, shown in today’s photos. This palace is one of the more beautiful buildings in the wonderful city of Rabat. The guards at the gate shown in the photo above seemed not be too concerned about a small group of Australian and English tourists snapping away happily with their cameras. The probably knew our guide; he seemed to know everyone else.
The gate itself is just another magnificent example of the stunning mosaics of Morocco. Wherever we went we saw many examples of this fine art. It was hard not to take dozens of photos of each example; observing my wife in action, I think she did.
Royal Palace, Rabat, Morocco
Royal Palace, Rabat, Morocco
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
Artwork on a column in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
The massive columns in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco display amazing artwork like that shown in the photograph above. When enlarged (see below) the artistry is enhanced even further. It creates a truly amazing beauty.
Artwork on a column in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
Scenes around Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Buildings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
One of the interesting things I found about visiting Ethiopia last December was the contrasts in the capital city, Addis Ababa. Today I have posted photos of several modern and quite lovely buildings, structures which would not be out of place in Australian cities. We went to several supermarkets and shopping centres and they looked very similar to what we’d find here in Adelaide or other Australian cities. In fact, the supermarkets were generally much cleaner and well kept than their Australian counterparts. Only the products on sale differed though we recognised many of the same brands we can get here at home. The labelling also differed, though many were in English as well as the locally spoken Amharic.
In most cases, however, we only had to go a short distance to see the other side of Ethiopia where the vast majority of people live in poor conditions and struggle for survival. More about that in coming days.
Buildings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Buildings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia