I’ve always thought my passion for old doors was a little weird, an odd personality quirk best not discussed in polite company. I’ve gotten used to it over the years, and so have my friends. “Wait,” they say screeching to an exaggerated halt. “Geanie’s taking another picture of a door.”
I love doors. Unusual doors, battered doors, doors that look like they’ve been around since the beginning of time.
An open door is an invitation into someone’s home, their life, and their story. A closed door is the opposite, but I find them equally intriguing especially in an exotic place like Tangier.
We’d signed up for a last-minute day trip from Malaga Spain to Tangier Morocco. I hadn’t had time to do my research so didn’t know what to expect. I was in for a nice surprise.
I think the doors in Morocco say a lot about the people who live here. This is a very religious society and an ancient one. Some of the doors here are so old and creaky that you feel you’ve entered a horror movie as you step through their shadowy realms.
Take this door to the left – what would you think lurks behind these rusty metal bars?
And this one? The bright colors suggest a pleasant place. Maybe this is the home of a well to do businessman or woman – a rug importer perhaps, or a financier. I like to think this is the home of a well-educated couple with a happy jumble of boisterous tots.
Here’s another exotic entryway. The heavy, somewhat forbidding iron doors strike an odd contrast to their decorative surroundings. Though a little battered and in need of a paint job you can tell this was once a place of importance.
This door is interesting because of the knocker. Our friend Abi, (pictured in the first photo) explained that while most residential homes have a knocker, many have separate knockers for different inhabitants. There might be a heavy one like this for the man of the house and a lighter one for the wife. Some doors even have small knockers which are lower to the ground for a child’s use.
As you can see from the red sign by the door below, this is the Hotel Tangier. It’s is one of the swankier places to stay in this area, which is indicated by the beautiful door with surrounding mosaic tile.
This is the Tangier I’ll never forget, tunnel-like winding streets, so narrow that if you step too stridently through your own front door you might end up in your neighbor’s house. This is not a great door picture, but what I was actually going for was the wiring. Most of these homes do not have electricity. It costs a lot of money to have electrical wires brought to your home. People of lesser means take their baking to the bakery, their laundry to the laundress and read at night by the light of a gas lamp. Traveling always makes me count my blessings.
Anyway, it’s good to know there are other door lovers out there. Maybe I’m not so quirky after all. Thanks, Thursday Doors!
For more fun door posts see Norm 2.0 Thursday doors.
The Library Lady Travels 
A love of old doors is not weird … it’s a fascination … just think of the stories they can tell … !!! And what about Budapest … a whole new blog post for you :))
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Definitely, thats on the agenda.
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Welcome to that little voice and thanks for following my blog. Love your pictures. They are fascinating.
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Welcome to that little voice, and Thursday doors. Loved the doors you showed. Looking forward to more of your posts. Thanks for following my blog.
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It’s my pleasure. Thanks for visiting.
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enjoyed this post a lot and the ” tunnel-like winding streets” are what come to mind for this place -and I learned more from your colorful photos – doors and more
:P)
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Thanks Prior, It was an interesting place – one that will stick with me. I’m also planning a post on the open market there. It was like being in an Indiana Jones movie. Thanks for the comment!
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Oh that open market sounds interesting – I will try and make sure I come back by for the post when you craft it –
😉
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Such great doors. How fascinating that some houses have different knockers for different people. 😀
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I know, I thought it was really unique, at least I’ve never heard of it before. I’m assuming you can tell by the sound which knocker is being used, so the right person answers the door?
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Yes -I like that idea. It could be handy if you weren’t in a hurry to see someone. 😀
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LOL, kind of like screening your calls!
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So beautiful and unique! And all have a history behind 😉
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I only wish I knew more about the history, unfortunately there was no one around who knew about some of these places, no one who spoke English anyway. Thanks for following.
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Great door pictures! I love this
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Thanks mystery blogger. I appreciate your comment.
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What a lovely enjoyable adventure, great doors and nice travels 🙂
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Thanks Kate, loved your last post too. It made me laugh.
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glad of that!
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Doors are not something I really ever thought about, but I will now. What a great trip and some wonderful pictures taken. I love those doors and all that they stand for. Wonderful post.
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For some reason they’ve always fascinated me. Doors are so different in other countries, and usually more interesting. The doors in my neighborhood are pretty boring. Thanks for the comment.
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Mine too, that is probably why I don’t think about them.
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You captured some amazing doors on your trip. When we lived in Spain we always planned on a visit to Morocco but never got there. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts.
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Honestly, I had no idea that Africa was just a ferry boat ride away from Spain. Traveling has led to some great geography revelations. Thanks for commenting.
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Love the fourth photo with the double blue door.
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Thanks, I’ve decided I need to get more information about places like this. Now it’s an interesting door, but kind of a mystery about what went on there. I appreciate the comment.
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Same thing happens to me. But it’s hard to know much about everything we see.
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Interesting take on doors. Well framed. Doors are so emblematic of society and people. Some people find. it hard to handle this type of subject…easy to come unhinged.
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Ha, I thought you were going all serious on me. I should have known.! Thanks Best Ad Man
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A delightful visit to a far-off place. Wonderful photos, and interesting reading. Thanks!
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Hi Ludwig. It was a delightful visit. You should see some of the pictures of the open market. I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie. Thanks
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I take pictures of doors all the time. You have found some rather good ones in Morocco.
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Morocco was a fascinating place. Its been fun to discover there are other door aficionados out there! Thanks.
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Oh, I don’t think you’re quirky at all. There are lots of us door lovers. These are wonderful. I love old wooden doors. Just to think about how long they’ve been in service and how many times they’ve been opened and closed. It’s amazing to me. Thanks for sharing these!
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Ditto that. I always wonder about the lives of people who live behind them. Thanks for commenting.
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Welcome, welcome, welcome, Geanie! You blessed us with some beautiful doors today. I can see why you enjoyed the trip. I feel the same way about counting my blessings when I travel…and if the flight/drive goes well, that’s a huge blessing as well. 🙂 I hope we see you again on Thursday Doors. I have a suspicion we will.
janet
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Most definitely, I feel like I’ve found my people here. Thanks!
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