Title
1984 Morocco Marrakech Koutoubia Mosque Minaret Night Twilight View Postcard
Front
Colour photographic night view of Marrakech, Morocco, taken from an elevated vantage point looking across the city at twilight, with a long exposure recording the movement of traffic.
The Koutoubia Mosque minaret rises at the left of centre, floodlit in a pale green light that picks out its tall square shaft, the blind arcading and interlacing panels of its faces, the small arched openings at each stage, and the lantern with its ribbed dome and finial of superimposed golden spheres at the summit.
The sky above occupies the upper half of the image, a broad expanse of dappled mackerel cloud shading from deep blue-green at the top through turquoise to bands of orange and rose along the horizon where the sun has just set. A dark silhouetted skyline of palms and trees runs across the middle distance, broken by scattered streetlamps and the lit façades of low buildings.
The lower half shows the roadway sweeping from the middle distance down toward the lower right corner, its surface streaked with long ribbons of white and red light from passing vehicles. Cars and coaches stand parked in the darkened open ground at either side, with figures moving among them, and at the lower left several saloon cars of 1970s type are picked out. At the lower right, lit food stalls and awnings of the Jemaa el-Fnaa are visible, one carrying an illuminated “NESCAFÉ” sign.
At the upper right is printed the municipal arms of Marrakech: a shield with a red chief bearing a gold crown, a green field charged with a white inescutcheon showing a red minaret tower, flanked by golden laurel branches, ensigned with a mural crown and set above a red ribbon.
Back
Divided-back colour postcard, printed text in dark grey.
Printed at the upper left:
“Marrakech la Rouge,
quand vient le crépuscule
sombre
dans Sa nuit étoilée.”
Printed vertically along the central dividing area:
“Editions JEFF s.a. – Tél: 26.35.93 – 373, Rue Mostafa el Maani – Casablanca
Photo exclusive – Reproduction interdite”
Printed at the lower left: “347 A – MARRAKECH”
A dotted stamp box is printed at the upper right; the stamp has been removed.
A circular datestamp is struck at the centre, reading مراكش in Arabic at the top and “MARRAKECH PPAL” around, with “20 H 30 18-7-84” across the centre.
Handwritten in blue ballpoint in the message panel at left:
“Dear Mr and Mrs Scott,
Well here I am at last in MARRAKECH. The weather here is really hot, 108° in the shade!! I guess you are quite used to temperatures like that!! Hotel is really nice but very expensive, and you can’t really wander around without a guide.
I’ll write to you soon.
Love Karen xxx”
Handwritten in blue ballpoint in the address panel at right:
“MR. AND MRS. C. SCOTT
UNIT 6, 33 GALIAN WAY
SPEARWOOD
W. AUSTRALIA
6163”
A pencil collector’s number “48” appears in the upper right corner.
Character and Text Summary
Marrakech la Rouge, quand vient le crépuscule sombre dans Sa nuit étoilée — French for “Marrakech the Red, when the dark twilight comes in its starry night”, the poetic caption given to the view; Marrakech is traditionally called the Red City for the ochre pigment of its walls and buildings.
مراكش — Marrākush — Marrakech, appearing in the postmark.
PPAL — an abbreviation of principal, indicating the head post office of the city.
Reproduction interdite — reproduction prohibited.
Estimated Era
Posted 18 July 1984 at 8.30 in the evening from the head post office in Marrakech, as recorded by the circular datestamp. The photograph itself is somewhat earlier, the parked motor cars being European saloons of the 1970s, so a negative of about 1975 to 1980 reissued into the mid 1980s is most likely. The card was published by Editions Jeff of Casablanca, a leading Moroccan postcard house of the period, and the six-digit Casablanca telephone number is consistent with the numbering in use before the national renumbering of the 1990s. The Koutoubia, built in the twelfth century under the Almohad caliphs, has been floodlit as the city’s principal landmark since the mid twentieth century.
Note: Coins & Banknotes Grading
- Please
closely inspect the photos to understand the condition of the coins or
banknotes before proceeding with your purchase, as grading can be
subjective and varies from person to person. - Please do not place too much hope on grading companies to grade the notes accurately, as they can be notoriously inconsistent.
- Different graders have different opinions, eye factors, and knowledge that influence the final grading.
- Even grading companies do not guarantee that you will get the outcome of your desired grading.
- If
you have any questions or require additional information, I am more
than happy to assist. Please feel free to contact me anytime.
Shipping Information
- Combined Shipping:
We offer combined shipping for all banknotes. To take advantage of this
offer, please add the items to your cart together and only proceed to
checkout once you are ready to pay. The combined shipping is calculated
at the checkout page. Please do not pay for items individually, as the
shipping costs will not be combined that way. - Customs, Duty, Tariff Fees: Buyers are responsible for any applicable customs, duty or tariff fees.
- International Shipping:
Shipping duration can vary, typically ranging from 14 to 60 business
days for standard delivery. Please be aware that these shipping times
are estimates and depend on the operational efficiencies of the shipping
companies, which we cannot control. - Postage Costs:
Please note that international shipping via Australia Post is not
cheap. We strive to keep the shipping costs as low as possible,
sometimes even absorbing a portion of the costs. All orders are sent
with end-to-end tracking for safety and reliability. - Untracked Shipping Requests:
If a buyer insists on requesting an untracked, cheaper shipping option,
we reserve the right to grant or refuse the request. If untracked
shipping is granted, please be aware that we have no way of tracking the
mail, and the buyer is strictly responsible for any losses in transit. - Tracking and Logistics:
Please check Australia Post for tracking status. Since we do not own
Australia Post, we have absolutely no control over their handling times
and methods. Australia is a huge continent, and logistics are
challenging, coupled with one of the highest minimum wages in the world,
making costs and operations tough. Please check with your postal
service or local post offices if any unattended mail notes are left, as
we absolutely can’t control that remotely.
Customer Conduct
- Please be respectful when communicating with us. We do not tolerate abusive behaviour from buyers.
- If you do not agree with the postage cost or any other terms, please refrain from making a purchase.
