animalia

Towards the center of a fine zoological mosaic, I spied my favourite of favourites: the fierce Little Owl, Athene noctua.

where there are ruins

...there are birds.

little stones

The combination of black and white tiles remind me of the cobblestones of Lisbon...

volubilis

The remains of the ancient city of Volubilis lie scattered within the agricultural patches of land outside Meknès. Founded in the 3rd century BCE, it was once a Mauritanian capital before becoming Roman. Volubilis boasts some of the finest mosaics I have seen in situ, with many depicting scenes from mythology, animals, and abstract patterns.

zellij

Chellah's examples of zellij, or glazed terracotta tile work, are mostly crumbling away on weathered orange stones, but the portal of the ruined mosque and its stunning minaret make it easy to imagine how splendid the structure must have been.

There was also some lovely mosaic work in the ruins of Roman buildings:

fortress of storks

There's a wonderful ruin of a fortress on the edge of Rabat called Chellah, and it has been completely taken over by White Storks. In the remnants of a 14th Century mosque, the percussion of storks clattering their beaks rises and falls, overwhelming the hum of cicadas hidden in the lush gardens.



Patrolling the walls of the ruins, younger birds who have not yet learned to fear, eye trespassers with large, curious eyes.



I have never been this close to a stork before, and dare I say the experience is magical— it almost makes a person forget their surroundings. With a 10 Dirham entrance fee (one dollar), you get an archaeological site, a botanical garden, a stork sanctuary, and shade. How amazing is that?