Sunset was at hand; we thought we'd pop up to the roof of the ryad for a quick drink.

As we scanned the hills on the far side of Fes, the moon revealed itself: a matte-white paper plate, hurriedly dragged above the horizon by an invisible fishing line. Then the prayers started. There were five muezzins, or fifty โ€” with the echo, who could count? The voices broke, wrapped around each other, crashed into the hills and rolled back. We set our wine glasses on the parapet to take in every note. A moment later, the sky drained of its saturation, the waves ended as abruptly as they'd started. Tomorrow we'd begin our 10-day odyssey across Morocco.

Sunset was at hand; we thought we'd pop up to the roof of the ryad for a quick drink.

As we scanned the hills on the far side of Fes, the moon revealed itself: a matte-white paper plate, hurriedly dragged above the horizon by an invisible fishing line. Then the prayers started. There were five muezzins, or fifty โ€” with the echo, who could count? The voices broke, wrapped around each other, crashed into the hills and rolled back. We set our wine glasses on the parapet to take in every note. A moment later, the sky drained of its saturation, the waves ended as abruptly as they'd started. Tomorrow we'd begin our 10-day odyssey across Morocco.

Sunset was at hand; we thought we'd pop up to the roof of the ryad for a quick drink.

As we scanned the hills on the far side of Fes, the moon revealed itself: a matte-white paper plate, hurriedly dragged above the horizon by an invisible fishing line. Then the prayers started. There were five muezzins, or fifty โ€” with the echo, who could count? The voices broke, wrapped around each other, crashed into the hills and rolled back. We set our wine glasses on the parapet to take in every note. A moment later, the sky drained of its saturation, the waves ended as abruptly as they'd started. Tomorrow we'd begin our 10-day odyssey across Morocco.

The impossibly-dense medina of Fes โ€” the world's largest car-free urban area

The impossibly-dense medina of Fes โ€” the world's largest car-free urban area

The impossibly-dense medina of Fes โ€” the world's largest car-free urban area

There were five muezzins, or fifty โ€” with the echo, who could count

sunset call to prayer, fes

There were five muezzins, or fifty โ€” with the echo, who could count

sunset call to prayer, fes

There were five muezzins, or fifty โ€” with the echo, who could count

sunset call to prayer, fes

Friday prayer in the Fes medina

Chouara Tannery, Fes

Friday prayer in the Fes medina

Chouara Tannery, Fes

Friday prayer in the Fes medina

Chouara Tannery, Fes

For ten days, we crossed a planet's worth of landscapes and cultures at a dizzying clip.

The Romans encountered this place ('Mauretania') in the 4th century โ€” already a mix of indigenous Amazigh, Mediterranean fishers, Saharan horsemen, and Phoenicians โ€” and called the people 'berbers', meaning 'barbarians'. Centuries later Islam arrived, adding to the rich mix of a land forever at the edge of empires. From the edge of the impossibly-dense medieval medina of Fes, we boarded a minivan with our guide Khaled, and hours later crossed the Atlas Mountains into the arid Sahara. As we stepped out of our gas-powered vehicle, our next vehicle spat into the sand and kneeled down to greet us. We mounted two dromedary camels, and slowly traipsed our way to a tent in the dunes.

For ten days, we crossed a planet's worth of landscapes and cultures at a dizzying clip.

The Romans encountered this place ('Mauretania') in the 4th century โ€” already a mix of indigenous Amazigh, Mediterranean fishers, Saharan horsemen, and Phoenicians โ€” and called the people 'berbers', meaning 'barbarians'. Centuries later Islam arrived, adding to the rich mix of a land forever at the edge of empires. From the edge of the impossibly-dense medieval medina of Fes, we boarded a minivan with our guide Khaled, and hours later crossed the Atlas Mountains into the arid Sahara. As we stepped out of our gas-powered vehicle, our next vehicle spat into the sand and kneeled down to greet us. We mounted two dromedary camels, and slowly traipsed our way to a tent in the dunes.

For ten days, we crossed a planet's worth of landscapes and cultures at a dizzying clip.

The Romans encountered this place ('Mauretania') in the 4th century โ€” already a mix of indigenous Amazigh, Mediterranean fishers, Saharan horsemen, and Phoenicians โ€” and called the people 'berbers', meaning 'barbarians'. Centuries later Islam arrived, adding to the rich mix of a land forever at the edge of empires. From the edge of the impossibly-dense medieval medina of Fes, we boarded a minivan with our guide Khaled, and hours later crossed the Atlas Mountains into the arid Sahara. As we stepped out of our gas-powered vehicle, our next vehicle spat into the sand and kneeled down to greet us. We mounted two dromedary camels, and slowly traipsed our way to a tent in the dunes.

Long shadows, Merzouga

Trusty transportation, Merzouga

Tented desert camp, Merzouga

Long shadows, Merzouga

Trusty transportation, Merzouga

Tented desert camp, Merzouga

Long shadows, Merzouga

Trusty transportation, Merzouga

Tented desert camp, Merzouga

We mounted two dromedary camels, and slowly traipsed our way to a tent in the dunes

Merzouga

We mounted two dromedary camels, and slowly traipsed our way to a tent in the dunes

Merzouga

We mounted two dromedary camels, and slowly traipsed our way to a tent in the dunes

Merzouga

The mesmerizing geometry of the Merzouga dunes

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The mesmerizing geometry of the Merzouga dunes

At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium

The mesmerizing geometry of the Merzouga dunes

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After dancing by the fire in the pitch-black Sahara night, we headed for the canyons.

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After dancing by the fire in the pitch-black Sahara night, we headed for the canyons.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing.

After dancing by the fire in the pitch-black Sahara night, we headed for the canyons.

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Quiet by day, Marrakesh's Jemaa el-Fnaa was incandescent by night.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing.

Quiet by day, Marrakesh's Jemaa el-Fnaa was incandescent by night.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing.

Quiet by day, Marrakesh's Jemaa el-Fnaa was incandescent by night.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur idipiscing.

We sat down for a bowl of brothy snails

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We sat down for a bowl of brothy snails

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We sat down for a bowl of brothy snails

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