Morocco - as found on Etsy.

I've had a bit of an obsession with Morocco for about ten years or so and I've been lucky enough to visit twice. The first time was a week spent in the fishing port/seaside town of Essaouira followed by a three day blast of luxury at La Mamounia in Marrakech.  After that visit I was desperate to return and would finaly do so in 2007 when we went on a photography holiday led by Lee Frost which would take us to Tangier, Casablanca, Fes, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Moulay Idris and Meknes in a very intense two weeks.  It was a brilliant experience and I would still love to return and to stay for a much longer time to really get the feel of the place.....

Here is a selection of items I've found on Etsy which scream Morocco to me:

 At the Market in Morocco by Joseph Aprile

This painting is so true to the exotic markets, the colours and shapes are spot on for me.  When I saw bags like the ones here hanging up on hooks in Tangier, they were full of snails!  I really like the minimalism of the image, you're not overwhelmed by detail, but it's all there if you know what to look for.

Patchwork - by Still Memory

When you look at this photograph and compare it to the painting above, you can see how the colours are so true, if two people from different places, practising different disciplines can get exactly the same colour palate I think that shows the power of the colour in this vibrant country.  I have come across this photograph on Etsy previously and I'm sure that it would be a scene which would have caught my eye too had I been in the same location with my camera.  It's such a typically Moroccan blast of colour and texture, the pebble-dashing, the smooth plaster, tiles, the detailed plasterwork around the door, the rough patch of exposed under-layer and the wood.  It's a sight you see over and over again in every town, but I confess to never seeing such an outrageously colourful painted floor!  I'd love to know where it was!

Ethnic Berber Style Necklace - by 3 Fun

It's those colours again!  The jewellery in Morocco is simply out of this world and when I went for the first time in 2002 I could barely believe my eyes when I saw what was available.  I came home with quite an impressive haul of goodies which were far too good to resist!  We drank mint tea in little shops while we haggled over a rug full of delights, some we had to abandon, but we were still very well rewarded for our patience!  This piece is really interesting as it's a contemporary interpretation of all that is beautiful and typical of Moroccan jeweller - the amber beads, the silver spirals (I bought a massive silver spiral, it's about 12cm in diameter and seriously dramatic!) the overall look is so convincing that when I first saw it I was sure that it was a 'real' piece of Moroccan jewellery.

Marrakesh Lights 3 - by L Jane6

The metalwork souks are full to bursting with men hand crafting the flamboyantly patterned metal lanterns, they come all all shapes and colours with glass and without.  They hang everywhere from the small café of the narrow streets as well as the extravagantly decorated palace restaurants.  This delicate painting sums up the variety and detail of the lanterns perfectly - I love the way that they are all jumbled together with little flashes of colours amidst the metal filigree.