To see city’s soul, wake up before sunrise and go wander the streets. The simple act gives such a sense of place; a stage play that remains beautifully timeless.

New York has a soundtrack of steel sidewalk grates clattering back, as old men yell and The NY Times thuds onto front stoops. Istanbul is a screeching combination of seagulls and cats, each screaming at the receding moon. Bangkok smells her best. Of wet jasmine petals, as the vendors string-and-sling the Phuang Malai––iconic, good-luck flower garlands every cabbie dangles from his rearview mirror.

Marrakech’s REM-cycle hours are the domaine of splashing hoses and calls to prayer.

The Medina’s dark alleys smell of Khubz dough, puffing in city ovens right off the street. And of Tanjia, a claypot lamb stew, started in the morning and cooked all day.

I took a dawn photo tour with Omar Ch-Hibat of Marrakech Photo Tours, and he took me to meet the Farnatchi Guardian––a beloved rockstar celebrity of sorts.

A Farnatchi is an underground oven. They are located around the Medina and are used to heat the town’s public ‘hammam’ bathhouses and the bakeries. Shavings, paper waste and sawdust are fed into these cave-like fire pits, and from the street level, one would see the smoke and know it’s time to break bread or scrub knees.

The Farnatchi Guardian and Omar have been friends for years, and he took me to say hello. This storied man is both the keeper of the flame and a very talented musician of the traditional gimbri. On it, he plays Morocco’s iconic Gnawa music. The notes of Gnawa are believed to induce trance or heal spiritually. It’s born of and named for a minority Gnawa community that originates from West Africa, Sudan and Sahelian roots.

I wasn’t sent into a trance while he played, but I was emotional. It was one of those gorgeous travel moments, where as a photographer … or merely an idiot with an iPhone … you just need to put your camera down. You need to connect. To listen, absorb and take it with you as a memory.

Thankfully, he was adamantly hospitable. I was able to do a bit of both.

I met the Farnatchi Guardian in his home, where instruments, prayer mats, and decorative fez hats lined the walls. Tea was poured, music played and fires stoked. Smoke rose and smiles were shared. It was my favorite moment in a full week of wonderful Marrakech adventures. And, some of my favorite images, too.

I highly recommend Omar’s tour, and should I return, I will certainly book another. Book him here!