45 Wonderful Black and White Photos Capture Everyday Life of High Atlas, Morocco in the 1980s

The High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas, is a mountain range in central Morocco, North Africa, the highest part of the Atlas Mountains.

The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. At the Atlantic and to the southwest the range drops abruptly and makes an impressive transition to the coast and the Anti-Atlas range. To the north, in the direction of Marrakech, the range descends less abruptly.

The range includes Jbel Toubkal, which at 4,167 m (2.589 mi; 13,671 ft) is the highest in the range and lies in Toubkal National Park. The range serves as a weather system barrier in Morocco running east–west and separating the Sahara from the Mediterranean and continental zones to the north and west. In the higher elevations of the massif, snow falls regularly, allowing winter sports. Snow lasts well into late spring in the High Atlas, mostly on the northern faces of the range. On the Western High Atlas, there is Oukaïmeden, one of three main ski stations in Morocco.

The High Atlas forms the basins for a multiplicity of river systems. The majority of the year-round rivers flow to the north, providing the basis for the settlements there. A number of wadis and seasonal rivers terminate in the deserts to the south and plateaux to the east of the mountains.

The High-Atlas Mountains are inhabited by Berbers, who live from agriculture and pastoralism in the valleys. In the steppe zone of the High-Atlas, where precipitations are low, the locals created a smart technique in managing the low precipitations and the weak soil. They turn the rather semi-arid lands into fertile valleys called locally by Agdal (garden in Berber). This technique has intrigued many Western agriculturalists, in which they were impressed by the high efficiency of this agricultural system. Many scientists, particularly French scientists, make yearly expeditions to observe the community and their living system.

These wonderful black and white photos were taken by Wolfgang Kraus that documented everyday life of High Atlas, Morocco in 1983 and 1985.

Annual fair (agdoud) at the shrine of Sidi Hmad ou Lmghenni, Assif Melloul valley, central High Atlas mountains, Morocco, 1983

Assif Melloul valley, central High Atlas mountains, Morocco, 1983

Assif Melloul valley, central High Atlas, Morocco, 1983

Café, Imilchil, Morocco, 1983

Churning butter, High Atlas, Morocco, 1983

See more»

35 Vintage Photographs Documented Life in Morocco in the 1960s

Harrison Forman (1904-1978) was a prominent photojournalist, explorer, author, and fellow of the American Geographical Society. As a foreign correspondent, Forman’s images and articles appeared in the New York Times, Times of London, Life, Look, Collier’s, Harpers, and Reader’s Digest. 

Forman traveled the world with the eye of an anthropologist.  He was fascinated by the lives, culture, economies, governments and infrastructure of each place he visited.  Known in his heyday as the “Modern Day Marco Polo,” Forman was often the first Westerner to have access to the people and places he visited and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, witnessing significant moments in history and documenting them with his photography. 

Take a look at life in Morocco in the 1960s through these 35 beautiful and fascinating pictures taken by Forman:

Directional sign in intersection pointing to Casablanca and Marrakech

Bird's-eye view of Jamaa el-Fna square, Marrakech marketplace

Men and boys in Jewish Quarter of Marrakech

Spectators at event

Women in niqabs and abayas walking in street

See more»

33 Vintage Photographs Capture Everyday Life in Morocco in 1960

In July 1960, Allan Hailstone traveled to Morocco. From Casablanca and Tangier to Agadir and Fez, Hailstone took numerous pictures of the country, then 4 years independent since 1956 and under the reign of Mohammed V. He also witnessed the aftermath of the earthquake that destroyed Agadir in February 1960.

For more fascinating vintage photographs, visit Hailstone's brilliant Flickr site.

Tangier

Tangier

Tangier

Tangier

Tangier

See more»

Bridal Make-up for Princess Lalla Nouzha, Sister of the King of Morocco, 1964

The Kingdom of Morocco spent seven days and seven nights celebrating the joyful occasion of the royal wedding of H.R.H. Princess Lalla Nouzha, sister of the King of Morocco, and Mr. Ahmed ben Mohammed Osman.

Sixty young brides, some shown here in gauzy el-tams, came from all over the kingdom to be dowered by the King, feted at court and married in the Royal Palace.

Lalla is seen veiled, jeweled in diamonds and emeralds, in her after-marriage maquillage for the Presentation of the Bride. H.R.H. Princess Lalla Nouzha wears her gold-encrusted crimson-and-white royal caftan in the palace courtyard. The Princess is known as a sportive young woman who dances, water-skis and rides – often mounted on a silver-studded cowboy saddle.

In November 1976, the Palm Beach Daily News reported of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Nezha on the occasion of her 35th birthday. “Her Royal Highness Lalla Nezha, the exotic sister of King Hassan II of Morocco, all wrapped up in Dior’s magenta jersey and hung with baubles by Zolotas (a gift from her husband, Prime Minister Ahmed Osman) made a royal entrance into the ballroom of her palace in Rabat. The ballroom was decorated for the occasion with 10,000 pink and white roses.”

The birthday cake was decorated with 35 pink camellias sprayed with Joy perfume. “Before she cut the cake, the princess picked off the camellias, one by one, and tossed them to the crowd.”

The following September, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Nouzha was killed in an auto accident in northern Morocco. It was reported that her car went off the road and hit a tree in dense fog on the Mediterranean Coast near Tetouan. She was 37.

37 Color Snapshots That Document Everyday Life of Morocco in 1960

Morocco is a country located in the far west of North Africa with an area of 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi). Its capital is Rabat, the largest city Casablanca. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, bordered to the east by Algeria and to the south by Mauritania.

Morocco is a member of the Arab League, the Union for the Mediterranean and the African Union. It has the fifth largest economy of Africa.

These amazing photos were taken by Allan Hails that documented everyday life of cities of Morocco such as: Casablanca, Fes, Tangier, Marrakesh in 1960, some in 1965.

Casablanca, July 1960

Casablanca, July 1960

Casablanca, July 1960

Casablanca, July 1960

Casablanca, July 1960

See more»

43 Color Snapshots That Capture Everyday Life of Morocco in 1974

These fascinating color photos from Leon Reed that were taken by his father Walter Reed during his trip to Morocco in 1974.

See more»

Captured in Action Just At the Right Moment, These Vibrant Color Photographs of Morocco in the 1980s You Have Never Seen Before

Harry Gruyaert’s Moroccan pictures have the tenacious certitude of mystery. Their content is neither sociological nor ethnographical, and even less so exotic or journalistic. All anecdote is banished, and time—the story, what comes before and after the photograph—appears to be suspended. And yet, it is brimming with energy—the energy of its colors and postures captured on the spot.

The enigmatic “subject” of these pictures includes such things as the texture of a wall or the material of a fabric, the composition of the air, and the density that is so specific to Moroccan light, at once violent and tender, glaring and maternal, abstract and sensual. The exact opposite of stereotypical exoticism, Harry Gruyaert shows us what has never been seen before of a different reality that is daily but secret.

High Atlas. Azilal. 1986.

Marrakech. Near "Jemma el Fna" square. Shaded streets of the medina (old district). 1986.

Ouarzazate. 1986.

South. Valley of Todra. Region of Tinerhir. Gas station. 1986.

Marrakech. Entrance of mosque at Ait Abrahim. 1986.

See more»

42 Wonderful Color Photos Capture Daily Life of Morocco in 1960

These wonderful photos were taken by London-based photographer Allan. They documented everyday life in Fez, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakesh in the end of 1960.

See more»

21 Stunning Color Photographs That Capture Daily Life in Morocco in the 1970s

Harry Gruyaert (born 1941) is a Belgian photographer known for his use of color in photography. Gruyaert studied at the School for Photo and Cinema in Brussels from 1959 to 1962. He then began freelance fashion and advertising work in Paris, while working as a director of photography for Flemish television.

In 1969 Gruyaert made the first of many trips to Morocco. His total immersion in its colors and landscapes won him the Kodak Prize in 1976 and culminated in the publication of the book Morocco in 1990.

The pictures of Morocco taken by Harry Gruyaert are highly mysterious and time seems to be suspended. However, a strong energy is created by the vibrant colors and the positions captured in action just at the right moment.

Town of Tan Tan. 1976.

South. Near the town of Erfout. Shadows of palmtrees on the ramparts of a village. 1976.

South. Erfout. In the medina (old district of the city). 1976.

Marrakech. Young Berber girls hiding and giggling. 1975.

Marrakech. In the medina (old district). 1977.

See more»

Color Photographs Capture Daily Life in Morocco in the early 1980s

French photographer Bruno Barbey, one of the member and once the vice-president for Magnum foundation Europe, is known for his expeditions as a photographer capturing strong images across 5 major continents and numerous conflicts around the world. These amazing photographs below were taken by Barbey at different places in Morocco in 1984.

Traditional wedding. Wedding arrangers are strong enough to carry the bride wearing gold dress. 1984

Cemetery of Bab Sagma at sunset. 1984

Horsemen performing a 'fantasia' race, during a wedding. 1984

Old city (Medina). 1984

Trade fair & market. 1984

See more»