© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Tsunami Museum, Telwatta, SRI LANKA

It has been over 7 years since the Tsunami devastated the coast of Sri Lanka. Over 50,000 people were killed and thousands more injured and displaced. Though new disasters and tragedies have occurred in the world, people have moved one to other issues, and the wounds are being healed as businesses, roads and lives are being rebuilt, signs of the destruction that had taken the nation by surprise are still there … none more prominently showcase than the Tsunami Museum in Telwatta, Sri Lanka.

Started by Jacky – an independent volunteer from Holland – she was drawn to Telwatta during her initial stint of voluntary work post the 26th December 2006 tsunami and had returned to Sri Lanka on many occasions between then and 2010. A visual artist and an art teacher, she had taken lots of photographs and through her visual journey had discovered the importance of photos for the Sri Lankans and the impact the tsunami had on the lost of these visual memories as well. Consequently, Jacky decided to start the Tsunami Museum project with  the following aim:

• To visualize the stories of the local people who where affected by the Tsunami. A place where big and small stories can come together and can be shared. Not only the stories of the local people, but also about the people who came to help.
• To create a place where people can see and remember what has happened, because their experiences and the disaster that followed has had a big impact on the lives of so many people and will stay with them all their lives. Besides this fact, the Tsunami story has become a major subject of Sri Lankan history and is important to show to the upcoming generations.
• To try and collect international photo material and bring it back to Sri Lanka and the affected villages, like Telwatta and Parelyia.
• The Tsunami brought people from all over the world to Sri Lanka. Many villages had not met people from other cultures before. I hope the museum will be a place where cultures can come together in the future as well.

 - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Details of the Tsunami Photo Museum

Opening Hours:
The Museum is open every day from 9.00 AM untill 18.00 PM

The museum is free of charge because we want to give everybody the oppurtunity to see the exhibition but a donation, to maintain the museum, is most welcome.

Address:
Tsunami Photo Museum, Templeroad, Telwatta, Sri Lanka

Museum website:
http://tsunami-photo-museum-srilanka.blogspot.com/

 - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

In Jacky’s own words:

At the 26 of December 2004 I was sitting in Holland behind the television watching the Tsunami videos and the aftermath. I had just got back from a trip to Thailand and I considered myself lucky being in Holland at that time, if I had made my trip 3 weeks later I could easily have been in the Tsunami myself.

I watched the news all the time and decided I wanted to help, not just donate money but go over there and help the people who had suffered so much. I wanted to help the people in whatever way I could. I tried to get in contact with NGO’s or people working on the site but this was very difficult. Nobody wanted to take the responsibility for helping volunteers. Finally after 3 weeks I got in contact with Jessica (also from Holland) who was helping the people in Sri Lanka.

On the 26th of January 2005 I was on the plane to Sri Lanka. I got some little donations from friends and I had asked some schools in my village to donate some presents for children there. I came to Hikkaduwa where Jessica was working together with more volunteers from all over the world. At that time most foreign people in this area where paid and unpaid aid workers.

We started with clearing rubble by hand in the village Wellawatta. After that I went to Hambantota for a week to do activities for children with another volunteer group. Between the rubble we would be colouring picture books, play cricket and other games at schools and in camps and made paper flowers and music in the childrensward of the hospital.

When I came back to Hikka Jessica and Co had already started to work in Telwatta. Making temporary wooden huts for about 15 families that were still living in the Temple at that time. Every day I passed Telwatta junction and this was still a big mess. People where living in tents between the rubble. Nothing had been cleared yet. After some time I decided to leave the other volunteers with the building of the huts and I started to see if I could help clean the rubble at the junction site. I tried to find volunteers to help and money to buy the needed cleaning tools, cause I didn’t have any budget myself. After one day of work with 8 people we where only able to clear one house foundation and I thought: “My god this is one hell of a job I started!!!!”

Any way although it seemed a long and heavy job to do we continued and after about 3-4 weeks we where able to clear the site from rubble. Main problem was to find the money to pay for the bulldozers and lorries that where needed to take away the rubble. Nobody had really a budget for this. I was very thankful that Jessica’s foundation wanted to donate the money for this and also to pay for the people who helped to clean. In the mean time I was able to get the Danish Peoples Aid to build shelters on the site and also I was able to get some funding for the clearing from them.

This was how it all started in Telwatta for me. After that I have been doing all sorts of projects in the area, but I kept coming back to Telwatta, because for some strange reason I felt at home there. And the people there have made me feel welcome and even when they didn’t have anything themselves they would give me a smile and a cup of tea. Also I admired their strong sense of community spirit and their strength to rebuild their lives after loosing nearly everything.

I have been up and down to Sri Lanka since the Tsunami for the last four years. All these times I had taken lots of photographs. I also found out how important photo’s are for the Sri Lankans themselves. Not only because they like them and put the photo frames on a central place in their house. Very much because, through the Tsunami, the people lost 98% of their photographs and didn’t have any camera’s. It where the aid workers, volunteers and journalists that had the camera’s. They visited the sites and took pictures, but most of these photos the village people didn’t see themselves.

From this background and my own background as a visual artist and an art teacher I decided to start the museum project. A project that is based with different aims:

- To visualize the stories of the local people who where affected by the Tsunami. A place where big and small stories can come together and can be shared. Not only the stories of the local people, but also about the people who came to help.

- To create a place where people can see and remember what has happened, because their experiences and the disaster that followed has had a big impact on the lives of so many people and will stay with them all their lives. Besides this fact, the Tsunami story has become a major subject of Sri Lankan history and is important to show to the upcoming generations.

- To try and collect international photo material and bring it back to Sri Lanka and the affected villages, like Telwatta and Parelyia.

- The Tsunami brought people from all over the world to Sri Lanka. Many villages had not met people from other cultures before. I hope the museum will be a place where cultures can come together in the future as well.

It is impossible to tell the whole Tsunami story, as there are too many. But by telling some of them I think a lot of people will get a general idea what has happened. The museum is not only about the Tsunami but also about the first years after, as so much changed every day during this chaotic period. I have chosen for a museum with a personal touch instead of a museum that shows all the facts. For me the personal stories are more important than the facts. Only the necessary facts to tell the story will be presented in the museum.

I had not been in Sri Lanka before the Tsunami. When I came here I saw the mess of a culture that has been whirled up side down. I had no idea how it had been before and what was normal and not. I learned about Sri Lanka life and culture the other way round. I learned about every day Sri Lankan life from rubble. Now slowly I get to see and understand what it had been like before the Tsunami. I hope I will be able to do more projects in Sri Lanka in the future. For now I would like to invite you to explore the museum and read the Tsunami photo stories.

© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Chandi Chowk, Delhi, INDIA

.

In Islam, ’Halal’ (Arabic: حلال‎ ḥalāl, “lawful”) means permissible. ‘Haraam’ means forbidden.

Although the term halal and haraam are applied to many facets of life; and one of the most common uses of these terms is in reference to meat products, food contact materials, and pharmaceuticals. .

Commonly, forbidden items include pork and all its products; animals improperly slaughtered; alcoholic drinks, including all forms of intoxicants; carnivorous animals; birds of prey; and any food contaminated with any of these products. When reference to meat products are made, it simply means that the slaughtering of the animal (excluding fish and most sea-life as per Islamic law) has used the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة).

Ḏabīḥah calls for the use of  a well sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, wind pipe and jugular veins but leaves the spinal cord intact when slaughtering animals. The head of an animal that is slaughtered is also required to be aligned with the Qiblah. 

.

However, before the second world war, the religious ritual method of slaughter as practiced in Islam and Judaism has been described as inhumane by animal welfare organisations in the U.K. and the U.S.A., who have stated that it “causes severe suffering to animals. In 1978, a study incorporating EEG  with electrodes surgically implanted on the skull of 17 sheep and 15 calves, and conducted by  Wilhelm Schulze et al. at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Germany concluded that “the slaughter in the form of a ritual cut is, if carried out properly, painless in sheep and calves according to EEG recordings and the missing defensive actions” .

.

The French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fishing published the ASIDCOM’s Bibliographical Report on Religious Slaughter and the Welfare of Animals in 2008 which quoted scientific papers and French veterinary PhD which support the equality or even possible superiority of religious slaughter to other methods of slaughter.

,

Ḏabīḥah  continues to be contested till today.

.

For example, in 2003, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), an independent advisory group, concluded that the way halal and kosher meat is produced causes severe suffering to animals and should be banned immediately. FAWC argued that cattle required up to two minutes to bleed to death when such means are employed. The Muslim Council of Britain countered the argument by stating that “it’s a sudden and quick haemorrhage. A quick loss of blood pressure and the brain is instantaneously starved of blood and there is no time to start feeling any pain.”

.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Humane Society International was quoted to say that, “the animals that are slaughtered according to kosher and halal should be securely restrained, particularly the head and neck, before cutting the throat” as “movements (during slaughter) results in a poor cut, bad bleeding, slow loss of consciousness, if at all, and pain.”

.

To appease the various fractions and opinion leaders on the above, in 2008, the Food and Farming minister in the UK requested that halal and kosher meat be labeled when it is put on sale, so that members of the public can decide whether or not they want to buy food from animals that have been bled to death. Lord Rooker was quoted as saying, “I object to the method of slaughter … my choice as a customer is that I would want to buy meat that has been looked after, and slaughtered in the most humane way possible.” The RSPCA his views.

.

Frustrated by the opinions, Jewish and Muslims across the globe continues to provide meat products that uses the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة).

.

© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – the circular house of relic (Vatadage), Polonnaruwa, SRI LANKA

Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s splendid medieval capital was established as the first city of the land in the 11th Century, A.D. It replaced Anuradhapura that was plundered, made desolate, and laid hopelessly bare to the invading armies from South India.

Polonnaruwa reached a dazzling, but pitifully brief zenith, in the 12th century and though like Anuradhapura, where it was ravaged by invasions in the preceding centuries, there is much evidence and remains of the old grandeur and glory. The ruins of Polonnaruwa sits on the east shore of a large artificial lake, the Topa Wewa Lake or Parakrama Samudra (the Sea of Parakrama); created by King Parakramabahu I (1153-86) who reign during Polonnaruwa’s golden age.

Within the city’s rectangular walls stands palace buildings, a bath area and clusters of dozens of dagobas, temples, various other religious buildings and a monk sanctuary that stretches for miles. The centerpiece – the Dalada Maluwa (the hall of the Tooth Relic) contains 12 magnificent buildings in a sacred precinct. The most famous of the ruins, if not the most most famous vatadage (circular house of relic) across Sri Lanka is the Vatadage in Polonnaruwa, with four Buddha images facing the cardinal directions circling around the centerpiece stupa. Evidence of the Buddhas being created out of white marble and one covered with gold leaf is still mildly visible.

.

.

© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Stupa, Polonnaruwa, SRI LANKA

The dagobas or stupas of Sri Lanka are the largest brick structures known to the ancient world, rendering them significant not only to Buddhism but also a significant architectural and engineering development for the island. The construction of stupas were considered acts of great merit for men as the purpose of stupas were mainly to enshrine relics of the Buddha.

.

Despite its shapes evolving from a ‘paddy heap’ to the ‘pot and bell’ and later on an ‘onion’, design specifications for the entrances are consistent in that they are laid out in a manner that ensures that their centre lines point to the relic chambers. As time progress, an ornamented vahalkadas was added to the design of stupas around the 2nd Century AD. The four vahalkadas face the cardinal points, ornamented with figures of animals and flowers. The pillars on the either side of the vahalkadas features figures of lions, elephants, horses or bulls; depending on the direction of the structure.

.

Later stupas were covered with a coating of lime plaster; combination applied depended on availability of materials and the requirements of designs. Typically materials includes lime, clay, sand, pebbles, egg whites, plant resin, glues and even the saliva of white ants!

.

.

.

Although Dambulla is thought to have been inhabited from as early as the 7th to 3rd Century BC, with Ibbankatuwa prehistoric burial site situated 3 kilometers from the cave temples, Dambulla is most famously known for providing refuge to King Valagamba (also known as Vattagamini Abhaya) for 14 years during his exile from the Anuradapura kingdom. Buddhist monks meditating in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided protection to the king from his enemies. As a results, when King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradapura kingdom in the 1st Century BC, he built the magnificent rock temple at Dambulla as a gratitude to the monks in Dambulla.

.

The Dambulla Cave Temple is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka where major attractions today spreads over five caves containing 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess (including two statues of the Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. In addition to statues, the Dambulla Cave Temple has murals covering an area of  2,100 m² depicting Lord Buddha and his life, which includes Buddha’s temptation by the demon Mara and Buddha’s first sermon. The statues and paintings in the Dambulla caves dates back to the 1st Century BC, but have been repaired and repainted in the 11th, 12th and 18th Century AD.

.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

.

Time line of the Caves

7th to 3rd century BC – early inhabitants

1st century BC – Painting and statues

5th century AD – the stupa was built

12th century AD – addition of the statues of Hindu gods

20th century AD – UNESCO restoration and lighting

.

.

Taking over two centuries to complete (784 – 987CE), the Mezquita de Cordoba has accommodated to many spiritual and religious purposes; originating first as a pagan temple, then to be converted to a Visigothic Christian Church, followed by its transition to a mosque by the Umayyad Caliphate with the Islamic conquest of the Visigothic kingdom, only to be transformed to a Roman Catholic church after the Spanish reconquering the area.

As a result, the Mezquita de Cordoba is known by the local inhabitants of Cordoba, Spain as the Mezquita-Catedral which translates to Mosque-Cathedral in English. Likewise, it incorporates an eclectic mix of Moorish and Renaissance architecture with minarets being adapted into cathedral bell towers and gilded prayer niches with Quranic inscriptions sitting alongside Renaissance styled cathedral nave.

Most notable for the giant arches – with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble and granite – taken from pieces of previously occupied Roman temples and the Merida amphitheater, the red and white voussoirs of the arches of Mezquita de Cordoba are purported to be a result of inspiration from the Dome of the Rock – a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem that was completed in 691CE. Expanded and improved extensively by the Umayyad Caliphate, the four stages – which is evident walking through the Mezquita de Cordoba – have resulted in richly gilded prayer niches, a centrally located honeycombed dome with blue tiles finished with stars, a breathtaking mihrab with geometric and flowering designs of floral, stained glass windows, screens of finely carved wood, minarets, colorful mosaics, a courtyard and a staircase and a bridge linking the prayer hall with the Caliph’s quarters.

Alterations to the works of the 4 Caliphs by the Roman Catholic invaders under King Ferdinand III of Castile saw the constructions of Chapels within the mosque, the erection of a cathedral nave right in the middle of Mezquita de Cordoba’s expansive structure and bells attached to minarets to serve as cathedral bell towers.

It is said that the Mezquita de Cordoba’s conversion to a Catholic church – the Catedral de Córdoba – was what saved it from being destroyed and continued to be preserved during the Spanish Inquisition.

The desire of men to convert this coveted structure remains to date with Spanish Muslims continued lobbying with the Roman Catholic church to allow them to pray in the cathedral; of which were rejected on multiple occasions by the Spanish Catholic authorities and the Vatican since the early 2000s. This quest turned into a violent incident in 2010.

.

.

Source: Lonely Planet, Wikipedia and Sacred Destinations

.

.

 A former Orthodox Patriarchal basilica between 360 to 1453, and later a mosque from 1453 t0 1931, the Hagia Sophia has been transformed to a museum since 1935.

Constructed under the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Hagia Sophia whose name originates from the Greek Ἁγία Σοφία, which means “Holy Wisdom” is often mistakenly referred to as Sancta Sophia (Saint Sophia). Designed by Greek physicist Isidore of Miletus and mathematician Anthemius of Tralles, Hagia Sophia is  famous for its massive dome and was considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture; notwithstanding that it was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years before the completion of Seville Cathedral in 1520.  The church also contains a large collection of holy relics as it was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for close to a century.

However, with its conversion into Aya Sofya Mosque by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, the bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over. This was in part due to the excessive damage Hagia Sophia sustained as a result of it being the focal point of the Sultan’s troops of unbridled pillage shortly after the city was sieged and defenses collapsed. Islamic features such as the mihrab, located in the apse where the altar used to stand, pointing towards Mecca were constructed in addition the the minbar and four minarets. Additions continued by subsequent Sultans over the centuries with the most famous restoration being ordered by Sultan Abdülmecid. Eliciting a total of 800 workers between 1847 and 1849, under the supervision of architect brothers Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati, the domes and vaults of the Aya Sofya was consolidated, it’s columns straightened and decorations of both the interior and exterior revised; mosaics in the upper gallery were cleaned, chandeliers were replaced by new pendant chandeliers and new gigantic circular-framed disks  with inscriptions of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and the two grandchildren of Mohammed - Hassan and Hussain - by calligrapher Kazasker İzzed Effendi were installed.

With its final transformation to a Museum in 1935, the carpets were removed, revealing marble floor decorations such as the Omphalion that had gone unseen for centuries. Likewise, for the mosaics that had been covered by white plaster. However, the Hagia Sophia is far from being save with its deteriorating structure, some of which is visible; water leaks over the fragile frescoes and mosaics due to its visibly cracked copper roof. What’s not visible to a visitor admiring its beauty is the rising ground water that has raised the level of humidity within the monument, creating an unstable environment for its stone and paint. Conservation work by the World Monuments Fund (with the help of American Express in securing grants) took place between 1997 and 2002 on its roof, followed by efforts by the Turkish Ministry of Culture who worked on the preservation of the dome’s interior till 2006. More funds and work is however still needed on other areas of Hagia Sophia.

© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony, Mevlevi Order, Istanbul, TURKEY

Known more commonly as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of remembrance to God (dhikr) in initiating the Sufi path (dervish), the Mevlevi Order  (Persian: مولويه - Molavīyeh) is a Sufi order founded in Konya, Turkey by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, theologian and Islamic jurist.

Following his death, the Mawlawi order was founded in 1273 by his successor, Hüsamettin Çelebi. The Mawlawi believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a “dance” and musical ceremony known as the Sema, which involves the whirling, from which the order acquired its nickname. The Sema represents a mystical journey of man’s spiritual ascent through mind and love towards “Perfection”. Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth, and arrives at the “Perfect”. He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, able to love and to be of service to the whole of creation.

Rumi has said in reference to Sema:

For them it is the Sema of this world and the other.
Even more for the circle of dancers within the Sema
Who turn and have, in their midst, their own Ka’aba.

The origin of Sema is credited to Rumi where it narrates the story of Rumi walking through the town marketplace one day, when he heard the rhythmic hammering of the goldbeaters. It is believed that Rumi heard the dhikr, “la elaha ella’llah” in Arabic “لا اله الا الله”, or in English, “There is none worthy of worship but Allah(God)“, spoken by the apprentices beating the gold, and was so filled with happiness that he stretched out both of his arms and started spinning in a circle. With that, the practice of Sema and the dervishes of the Mevlevi Order were born.

In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed the “The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony” of Turkey as amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

 - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

The Sema is practised in the samahane (ritual hall) according to a precisely prescribed symbolic ritual with the dervishes whirling in a circle around their sheikh, who is the only one whirling around his axis. The Sema is performed by spinning on the right foot. The dervishes wear a white gown (symbol of death), a wide black cloak (hırka) (symbol of the grave) and a tall brown hat (kûlah or sikke), symbol of the tombstone.

Sema ceremonies are broken up into four parts which all have their own important meanings.

Naat and Taksim - Naat is the beginning of the ceremony where a solo singer offers praise for the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The first part is finished with taksim(improvisation in free rhythm) of the ney reed flute which symbolizes our separation from God.

Devr-i Veled - During the following Devr-i Veled, the dervishes bow to each other and make a stately procession in single file around the hall. The bow is said to represent the acknowledgement of the Divine breath which has been breathed into all of us. After all the dervishes have done this they kneel and remove their black cloaks.

The Four Salams - The Four Salams are the central part of Sama. The samazens or whirling dervishes are representative of the moon and they spin on the outside (sufi whirling) of the Sheikh who is representative of the sun. They, as previously mentioned, spin on their right foot and additionally, they have their right palm facing upwards towards Heaven and their left hand pointing at the ground. The four salams themselves are representative of the spiritual journey that every believer goes through. The first one is representative of recognition of God, the second one is recognition of the existence in his unity, the third one represents the ecstacy one experiences with total surrender and the fourth one, where the Sheikh joins in the dance, is symbolic of peace of the heart due to Divine unity. After the four salams, this part of the ceremony is concluded with another solo Taksim.

Concluding Prayer - The fourth part of the ceremony is a recitation from the Holy Qu’ran and a prayer by the Sheikh and then the Sema is complete.

 

© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Djamaa el Fna, Marrakesh, MOROCCO

The Haouz Plain that surrounds Marrakech provides the city with a rich variety of fruits and vegetables. Being a major orange producing region where naval oranges and clementines accounts for more than eight percent of the fruit grown in Morocco, it is no wonder that fruits that are less than perfect for the big European export markets ends up at the Djamaa el Fna, filling carts to the rim with its delightfully sweet and refreshening juice being freshly squeezed on demand.

Nonetheless, the mounds of oranges only makes its appearances at certain times of the year, depending on season.

Spring-apricots, cherries, kiwis, peaches, and strawberries

Summer- watermelon, wild artichokes, tomatoes

Winter-oranges, mandarins, carrots

Seasonal-almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, bananas, lemons

Being a predominantly Muslim nation where  cocktails or other intoxicating beverages are prohibited due to religious reasons, the Moroccans have as a result created a variety of some of the freshest natural fruit juices (sharbat) and shakes in addition to the famed mint tea and Arabic coffee. With oranges in abundance, a glass of freshly squeeze orange is about the only thing in Djamaa el Fnaa with fixed pricing and the best value for money available, even during Ramadhan where the vendors have no qualms exercising extreme price discrimination and other dishonest trade practices on tourists and travelers.

Marrakesh – famed for Djamaa el Fna, its vibrant main square dubbed the most exhilarating meeting place in the world, Marrakesh which is situated in southwest Morocco also features the landmark symbol in its walled old city (medina): the 800 year old minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque.

The minaret, capped with three golden orbs, not only dominates the Marrakesh skyline but also enhances the mosque’s reputation as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It was completed during the rule of Almohad Caliph Yacoub el-Mansour (1184-199) and stands nearly 230ft (77m) high and almost 40 ft (13m) wide.

The city’s character is, however, defined by Djamaa el Fna in the city’s medina square. By the day it is the scene of locals and tourists haggling for bargains with market traders and watching snake charmers.

The souk (or marketplace) bordering the square is the largest in North Africa; its alleyways are crammed with stalls selling carpets, kaftans, embroidered slippers, leather ware, lamps and other Moroccan craft items.

By night the main square is transformed into a mesmerizing  theateric scene of street entertainment of every kind: fire-eating, juggling, singing, acrobatics, story-telling, dancing, magic, drumming, fortune telling and stalls selling traditional medicines or Moroccan dishes of sheep’s brains and eyes, and goats’ testicles sizzling on the pan with smells wafting up to the Moroccan clear cloudless sky.

.

.

]]> http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/07/djamaa-el-fna-and-kautoubia-mosque-at-800-years/feed/ 0