Morocco: Kasbah des Oudaya, part 1

Here's another word to add to your Moroccan vocabulary: kasbah. A kasbah (or casbah) is defined as citadel of any of various North African cities.

If there is one place you'd like to get lost in your own wanderings, it's here. The cobble-stone streets lead to narrow alleys where the walls of the buildings are half white (upper) and half blue (lower). Apparently blue is a color that repels mosquitoes, so they used blue.

Each door or window is unique and charming and worth photographing. A walk through the alleys gives a sense of other-worldliness for me. It's easy to get lost here, but it's also not hard to find your way back, but while you're "lost" just enjoy the views and take photos.

The history of the kasbah dates back to 12th century when Almohad Caliphate built it as a fortress at the mouth of the Bouregreg River. Later it became the refuge of Andalusian muslims fleeing Spain in the 1600s.

More recently, it was the site of one of Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible movie. It was a tidbit that amused me, but did not really matter in the whole impression of the site.

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In this trip, we did not make it to Chefchaouen, which is a popular tourist spot more popularly known for its blue and white walls. The Oudaya made up for missing Chefchaouen. For now.

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

Comments

  1. How utterly fascinating, Maria, about the blue part of the walls. Regardless of the reason, it is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I just got my education!

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  2. It is beautiful. And I can imagine wandering and taking pictures for however long I possibly could. So interesting about why they use the blue....it's lovely to look at even without knowing that it repels those nasty bugs.

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  3. I love those narrow streets! Wonderful shots.

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  4. Interesting that blue repels mosquitoes. Wonderful door knockers.

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  5. I just love those narrow alleyways with the bright coloured doors and flowers.

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  6. That's really interesting about the mosquitos!!

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  7. Are those door knockers or knobs? I would love to have one of those. Great shots!

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  8. Did you make it to the river (or the upper part of the Kasbah) where you can look out and see the river? I found Oudaya to be very quiet and not a lot of people around when I was exploring the area.

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  9. Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I hope to see you often. I love the blue walls and ornate knockers. I also love the narrow alleys and cobblestones. I've lived in West, North and East Africa and have settled in South Africa. Thank you for sharing. I'll be back for more. Greetings Jo

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  10. PS how do I join your blog as a follower?

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  11. Wonderful photos here. I love those narrow streets, they are so attractive. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment, I appreciate that.
    Greetings from Ireland.

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  12. lol, they like the blue color. I do too :) It´s refreshing,

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