The Portuguese Cistern
El Jadida, Morocco 1996
Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the small city was a stopover on the spice trade route the Portuguese sailors followed to India. In the ’90’s, the city was a favorite holiday destination for Moroccans. In those days, the tourists from other countries chose Agadir, which was further south and more western in amenities.
I’d seen photos of the interior of the cistern and I wanted to photograph it. I bought a haik (the white, draped, cover-up garment worn by the Moroccan women of El Jadida) in the market. My daughter enveloped herself in it and we embarked on our photo session. It took a bit of haggling to enter the cistern with a tripod. Although I can never win when money is involve, I did manage to win this haggling contest. I must admit that my opponent was a young girl and she had been trained to respect older women.
Water pooled on the floor of the cavernous cistern. I splashed through to find my viewpoint. Groined arches and pillars were hidden in black shadows. At the same time harsh sunlight streamed from the skylight creating a contrast that no film could capture. I used Kodak 3200 ASA and figured I’d think about my processing times for the darkroom later.
This is my best shot. I printed it several times in the darkroom and although I could never burn in the highlights to get any detail, I have always been pleased when I look at it. The shot above was scanned and processed digitally. I used a blur to disguise the harsh grain from the film.