Djemaa al Fna (Marrakech) minstrels: Young boy with hand cymbals.

Djemaa al Fna (Marrakech) minstrels: Colorfully-dressed street musicians play hand cymbals and drums as they sing and stroll through the market-day crowd.

Fez, Morocco: Bab Bou Jeloud, known as "The Blue Gate." The minaret (the left one of the two shown) of the Madrasa (religious school) Bou Inania can be seen through the opening.

A friendly hot-foods vendor in Jemaa Al Fna souq (open air-market), where I spent most of my time in the evenings I was in Marrakech. The Arabic name means "Place of the Dead"; this is because of its previous role as an execution ground where the heads of criminals were displayed. In 1547 Calilph About Abbas Ahmed added stalls for an international marketplace that included Muslim and Christian vendors.

A night-time scene in the Olive Souq (open-air market) in Djemaa al Fna (Marrakech). As I am addicted to olives, I bought several liters of my favorite varieties of olives here.

A night-time scene in the Olive Souq (open-air market) in Djemaa al Fna (Marrakech). As I am addicted to olives, I bought several liters of my favorite varieties of olives here.

A decorative mountain of olives and pickled oranges: A night-time scene in the Olive Souq (open-air market) in Djemaa al Fna (Marrakech). As I am addicted to olives, I bought several liters of my favorite varieties of olives here.

Fes al Bali: A spice vendor's colorful display of his many wares.

Ornately-decorated gate entrance to a madrasa in Fes.

My favorite snake charmer performed daily in the heart of the Djemaa al Fna square. When I first photographed him, he was messing with a trio of Black Cobras (one of which he is holding in this photo). I was told later that the snakes were kept in boxes lined with ice cubes to keep them cool and docile; they were only removed from their boxes for short periods to display to the crowd that inevitably gathered around this fellow.

Madrasa Bou Inania: A marble fountain surrounded by a floor of intricate porcelain tiles (foreground) and public "hammam" or lavatory sinks used by Muslims to perform their ablutions prior to praying in the mosque.

A friend sporting a fresh henna "tattoo" poses for my camera. I saw many such fancy temporary tattoos on the hands of Muslim women in Morocco and the Middle Eastern countries I have visited.

Madrasa Bou Inania: Alabaster and marble archways adorned with teak wood grillwork gates.

Fez, Morocco: Bab Bou Jeloud, known as "The Blue Gate." The minaret (the left one of the two shown) of the Madrasa (religious school) Bou Inania can be seen through the opening.

Immense wooden doors with intricate parquet inlay work adorns the inner sanctuary of a madras in Marrakech.

Immense wooden doors with intricate parquet inlay work adorns the inner sanctuary of a madras in Marrakech.

Seen in Marrakech: A secluded water fountain in the gardens of the Madrasa Bou Inania.

The Koutubiyya Mosque ("Jami' al-Kutubiyah" in Arabic) is the largest in Marrakech. It is ornamented with curved windows, a band of ceramic inlay, pointed merlons, and decorative arches. It has a large plaza with gardens, and is floodlit at night. The minaret is 77 meters (253 ft) high and is located just west of the Jemaa El Fna souq (open air-market), where I spent most of my time in the evenings I was in Marrakech. The mosque was completed under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al Mansur (1184 to 1199 AD).

The Koutubiyya Mosque (Marrakech) backlit by the setting sun.

A pair of water sellers dressed in traditional garb wander amongst the crowd in Djemaa al Fna square. All of the square's "entertainers" (from snake charmers to traditional no-anesthic dentists) charge to pose for tourists' photographs.

While on the road to Marrakech, I stopped at an isolated nomadic camp, where I photographed this mother and her very uncooperative son ("No smile for you today").