Photographer Élio Nogueira [IG] taps visually into a story shaped by centuries and the lives of traders.
Beyond the movement of physical goods, Marrakech facilitated a massive exchange of knowledge and culture that spread widely in the region.
During the early Middle Ages [Europe’s "Dark Ages"], much of the Greek philosophical and scientific corpus was lost to the West, as a result of the Crusades. However, it was preserved and expanded upon in the Islamic world.
In an action of true humanism, scholars from the Arab world and the West or European world, were joined by Jewish scholars — often bilingual or multilingual — to restore and expand on all the critical knowledge destroyed in the Crusades.
Marrakech has a strong reputation for its coffee houses due to the historical importance of Bacha Coffee, a cafe that opened in 1910 within the Dar El Bacha Palace.
It was considered the highest authority on the coffee experience in Marrakech and hosted dignitaries like US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, UK's Prime Minister Winston Churchill, filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and entertainer Josephine Baker.
Fast-forward to now, and the history and reputation of Arabica coffee served at Bacha Coffee can be experienced in Paris at 26 Av. des Champs-Élysées. In a testament to grandiosity, this three-floors, 1500 sq. meters, undeniable temple of Arabian coffee rivals all we know about the ‘memorable before it even opens’ Louis Vuitton Hotel, under construction at 107 Av. des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Vogue Poland [IG] November 2024 touches down in Marrakech with French model Tara Falla onboard. Falla is styled by Lorna McGee in images by Simon Elmalem [IG]./ Hair and makeup by Natalie Shafii
