Morocco - Time, Texture, & a Rooftop in Essaouira

Morocco had lingered on our list for years—one of those places that pulls you in with its textures, histories, and contradictions. We finally made the trip, touching down in Rabat and a train to Fes, a city as layered as it is alive. Having previously walked the ancient corridors of Aleppo, Syria and Sanaa, Yemen, Fes felt like a continuation of that personal thread—Arab cities that carry the memory of centuries in their walls.

From there, a flight to Marrakesh and a long drive west brought us to Essaouira, a breezy, fortified city on the Atlantic coast. We stayed just outside the medina at the stunning Le Jardin des Douars — the kind of place that invites you to exhale slowly. Essaouira felt like a completely different Morocco: windswept, relaxed, and rhythmic in its own way.

Terrace with lounge chairs, potted plants, and adobe-style walls, sunset sky with clouds
People gathered in a public outdoor space viewed through an ornamental Islamic geometric pattern. The scene includes people sitting and standing, with a building and minaret in the background, under a clear sky.
A man is leaning over a table at a souvenir shop filled with carved wooden ornaments, looking down at five cats sitting and standing at the shop's entrance. The shop has wooden doors and walls, with colorful carvings hanging from above.
A boy in a blue shirt and shorts filling plastic jugs with water from a decorative, tile fountain.
A person with a straw hat standing on a beach near a harbor, surrounded by flying seagulls and debris, with a clear blue sky overhead.
Women relaxing by a swimming pool in a courtyard with white walls, greenery, and intricate tile flooring.
A woman in a white dress and sandals standing on rocks near the beach, with old buildings and a castle wall in the background under a clear blue sky.
A worker sitting on a salt evaporation pond, using a tool to harvest salt from the shallow pools of water.
View of a white Mediterranean-style building with black shuttered windows, decorative arches, and lush green plants on balconies and in the foreground, under a clear sky.
A white cat with light markings sitting in a narrow alleyway between stone walls, with a blurred background of building structures.
A family enjoying a meal outdoors by a swimming pool in a courtyard with Moroccan-style architecture.
A woman in a green swimsuit sitting by a pool in a Moroccan-style courtyard with white walls, arched doorways, and decorative tiles, during early evening.
People sitting on a bench and a wall with a tall illuminated tower in the background at dusk.
Person sitting on a bus or train, legs stretched out with feet resting on the floor, next to a large backpack, sunlight shining through windows on the right side.
White cat with yellow eyes lying on a stone floor, next to a dark wall.
A silhouette of a child holding a water bottle, sitting in front of a window overlooking a densely built, arid cityscape with beige and brown buildings, palm trees, and a clear blue sky.
Workers engaged in leather tanning process in open-air stone vats filled with liquid, with yellow buildings in the background.
A man wearing a straw hat and gloves working with a large fish or aquatic creature at a wet market or fishery.
Woman standing in a vat with red dye, surrounded by dyeing vats and fabric, in an outdoor workshop setting.
A person leading a camel through sand dunes in a desert landscape with a body of water and distant hills in the background.
People standing and talking near an ornate, carved archway and colorful, intricate Moroccan-style door inside a building.
A woman in a swimsuit sitting at the edge of a swimming pool in a Mediterranean-style courtyard with potted plants, tall trees, and colorful stained glass windows.
Smiling woman with sunglasses and a red dress standing in front of a pink wall.
Inner courtyard with a small swimming pool, trees, and ornate white walls, illuminated at night with warm lighting.
A white cat with black patches sitting on a windowsill in front of a dark window set in a textured, orange-brown stucco wall.
View through windows showing architectural arch-shaped structures with textured surfaces.
Terracotta-colored stucco walls with arched openings, outdoor lanterns, potted plants, and a view of hills and trees against a blue sky.
A swimming pool with a star design on the bottom, surrounded by lounge chairs, lush green trees and palm trees, and a building with arched windows under a clear blue sky.
Wicker baskets filled with textiles placed outside a stone building with a doorway and wall-mounted lanterns, with potted plants nearby.
Palm trees and a traditional southwestern style house with a clay stucco exterior, surrounded by lush greenery and a swimming pool in the foreground, under a partly cloudy sky.
A luxurious infinity pool surrounded by desert landscape and tall palm trees, with adobe-style buildings in the background.
Orange flowering vine on an orange stucco wall with shadows cast from a nearby fence, under a clear blue sky.
White cat with black spots sitting on a terracotta wall, with palm trees and a blue sky in the background.
A swimming pool surrounded by palm trees and lush greenery with pink and purple flowering plants, in a warm outdoor setting under a partly cloudy sky.
Close-up of a large green palm frond with parallel veins and sunlight shining through.
Outdoor patio furniture with cushions, plants, and a shade sail against a hillside landscape during sunset.
Adobe style stucco wall with small window, arched wooden door, and outdoor wall lantern at sunset.
A large potted cactus with green stems and yellow tips is situated in a corner of an outdoor patio with tan stucco walls. A palm leaf is visible in the upper left corner, and a black lantern hangs on the wall. The ground has small, square, patterned
A cozy outdoor patio area with palm trees, string lights, and lanterns, decorated with plants and seating, at sunset.
People on a stone pier with cannons, and a person swimming in the water, with water splashing in mid-air, at a historical seaside site, under a clear blue sky.
A man walking a camel through sandy dunes near a body of water on a sunny day
View of a river bordered by sandy shores and green bushes in the foreground, with a town or city on a hill in the background, under a clear blue sky.
Interior of a restaurant with warm orange lighting from hanging woven lamps, people sitting and talking at tables.
A woman wearing a black apron preparing food on a kitchen counter with various cooking utensils and bowls around her.
A group of women preparing food in a kitchen with a large table, some wearing aprons and one with a headscarf, working with colorful ingredients and utensils.
Four men preparing food at an outdoor bar with green tiled counter and rustic stools, under hanging green lamps during sunset.
Terracotta-colored building with Moroccan-style architecture, potted plants, outdoor seating with cushions, and lantern-style lights at sunset.
A woman in a black dress is mid-air doing a flip off a bridge into water, watched by three men on the bridge, with ancient stone fortifications and a bright blue sky in the background.
People walking on a narrow street with shaded shops and market stalls, with a woman in a white dress standing in sunlight