Morocco - Fes, Meknes, Volubilis, Rabat and Marrakech
Below are a selection of stereographic projection planets from my recent trip to Morocco, where we went from Fes (also known as Fez) to Marrakech (Marrakesh) via a former capital in Meknes and the current capital Rabat.
View from the roof terrace of Riad a La Belle Etoile, Rabat - Sale, of the Sale medina - Early Evening
The old medinas in the Moroccan cities all had a brilliantly chaotic and colourful feel to them. This panorama taken from the riad in which we stayed captures a lot of this craziness. The stereographic projection overlooks Rabat from the medina in Sale.
Volubilis Roman Ruins near Meknes / Moulay Idriss
Volubilis is a stunning Roman ruin situated between Meknes and Moulay Idriss. This mini planet shows the Basilica and, somewhat smaller, the Capitol.
The Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech
The Koutoubia mosque is a stunning building, and by far the most impressive we came across in Morocco. This planet is taken from the large square outside the mosque near the famous Djemaa el Fna square.
The El Badi Palace was a former royal palace, which sadly was dismantled by Alaouite Sultan Moulay Ismail to decorate his palace in Meknes, which is a huge shame as the scale of this palace was unlike anything else we came across. This stereographic projection the Palace’s most distinctive remaining feature.
Volubilis Roman Ruins, near Marrakech
This stereographic projection shows another angle of the Volubilis Basilica - the weather was starting to turn and this was shortly before the hardest downpour I’ve seen in years!
Setti Fatma Cascades in the High Atlas Mountains
This planet was an interesting experiment to discover what happens if you take a miniplanet at high altitude, with peaks rising up around you. The results are interesting and almost warped mountains! I love how this stereographic projection has a lot going on and is hard to take it all in!
Fes Medina from the Tombeaux Merinides in Fes
The medina is Fes was by far the most amazing place in Morocco. It’s narrow maze-like passages made it a nightmare, but great fun, to navigate. This miniplanet is taken from the Tombeaux Merinides overlooking the medina.
View from the roof terrace of Riad a La Belle Etoile, Rabat - Sale, of the Sale medina - Day
This is a day time shot of the image at the top of the page, but from a slightly different position. Personally I prefer the earlier shot due to the more vibrant colours, though I think this stereographic projection still shows the compact nature of Moroccan medinas brilliantly
Place El Hedhim, the main square, in the centre of Meknes
This planet is taken from the central square of Meknes, a former capital city of Morocco. Sadly this square is also home to some very dodgy restaurants, which lead to a very unpleasant couple of days!…
View from The Platform (Le Platforme) in the Kasbah des Oudaïa, Rabat
From Le Platforme in Rabat you overlook the Atlantic Ocean and the surfers in some impressive waves. This stereographic projection is taken overlooking the sea.
Inverted miniplanet of the Cascades at the Berber village of Setti Fatma, High Atlas Mountains
This is the same panorama as above but is an inverted stereographic projection, which I think makes it easier to see what is going on. Particularly interesting is the now upward flowing waterfall!
Riad Zahraa in Meknes, Early Evening
My final planet in the Morocco series was taken from the roof of our Riad in Meknes as the light was starting to fall. As with the planet of the Riad in Rabat, there is a brilliant cluttered feel to the planet.
