And behold there was an earthquake

These photos were taken by me last week in a village in the Ouirgane valley on the lower slopes of Morocco's Atlas Mountains. In the photo above a ruined house can be seen in the background, and this area was close to the epicentre of the terrible earthquake in September 2023 which killed around 3000 people.


More than forty people died in Ouirgane village, and the impact of the earthquake is still only too evident.


 For obscure reasons, almost two years later some villagers are still living in temporary accommodation. The shelters have a shiny silver finish to reflect the temperature extremes experienced at 3500 feet. On the day I took these photos the temperature was 32 degrees C. When I asked the lady living with her family in the shelter seen below if I could take a photograph, she asked me in for mint tea. 


The title of this post is derived from the Missa 'Et ecce terrae motus' of Antoine Brumel (1460-1512). This work is known as the 'Earthquake Mass' because its cantus firmus is taken from the Easter antiphon 'And behold, there was a great earthquake'. Thanks go once again to the inimitable Aztat Treks for logistical support in Morocco.

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