UN THE AU SAHARA
Un petit voyage au Maroc
TANGIER"S FLEA MARKET
We decided to check out Casa Barata- "The Cheap House" in Spanish as it is called. Why in Spanish? I don't know but Spain was one of the countries ruling Morocco from 1912 to its independence in 1956. (with France and Britain, joined by Italy, Portugal and Belgium in 1928) The proximity of Spain- 14 kilometers across the Straight of Gibraltar- means there are Spanish visitors to Tangier all the time, so maybe they gave it that name. I forgot to ask.
Here a few of my "finds" -though we did not actually buy any of these "treasures" I think they each have a certain appeal...
Giving a whole new meaning to the expression "stainless steel appliances".
Great brass items but too big or too heavy for even the bravest traveler.
Kitch. Beyond kitch.
A cute egg basket.
Alice in Wonderland?
50's glassware. surely French. 2 dollars for the lot.
Hand thrown earthenware. under a dollar each. for the potted plants on a terrasse; there are many in Tangier.
Interestingly, you can tell who owns what house in the Kasbah and the Medina of Tangier: the ones with laundry drying are the Moroccans'. The ones with plants and lounge chairs are crazy sun-worshiping foreigners'.
What a great table top this ceiling decoration would make; and this merchant has a thing or two to teach us about merchandising vignettes.
images JADHny
au revoir.
Posts
Thanks for taking me shopping. Oh how I wish I could be there. There's nothing better.
ReplyDeleteAh, someone after my own heart. you would indeed love it there if you were not looking for high-end bargains...this is really mostly a lowest of the lowest-end market but such treasures if your eyes and your mind are open! love having your visit. Merci.
ReplyDeleteWhile living in Naples, my husband visited this market and brought home some goodies. After looking at these pics, I wish I would have gone too!
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