The Souk
Tripoli, Libya 1962
Don’t you love those men wearing the toga-like garment? But you can see the young men want to wear western clothes.
Once I was met in Casablanca by a Berber driver from Merzouga. He wore a chech (turban) and gandoura, which could be described as a gown. The Moroccan men at the airport and in Fez where I spent a few days, kept calling to him, joking about his traditional dress. Soon he was wearing a shirt and pants and a baseball cap. He didn’t look nearly as nice…in fact, I didn’t recognize him when he came to pick me up.
Tripoli, Libya: Souk
Another view of the souk, this time with women wearing what in Morocco is called a haik. I’m thinking that Libyan women still wear this garment. It’s practical. It covers your house dress when you want to go out in public. You needn’t spend any time in front of the mirror arranging your hair or make-up. Every cloud has a silver lining.
The Way It Was
The correct view of the cornice in Tripoli. I tried to give the photo a look of the past by changing the colors to these soft greens and yellow tones. I get a sense of tranquility when I look at this.