Russian Photographer Documents Morocco’s Dramatic 15-Year Transformation

Arseniy Neskhodimov can’t believe that Morocco has undergone profound transformations over the past fifteen years. Morocco "has experienced notable development on several levels, particularly in terms of security and public order," he tells the Russian site Yuzhny Federalny. The Russian photographer draws a comparison between Morocco 15 years ago and Morocco today and notes that certain large cities, like Casablanca, which suffered from chaotic urban planning and a strong presence of theft, are now more organized.

According to his testimony, the sale and consumption of cannabis in public places have disappeared, in a context of strong police presence and obvious change in individual behavior. Regarding alcohol, its sale and consumption remain limited to enclosed and isolated places, not visible to the general public, which generally close automatically during Friday prayer hours, Neskhodimov emphasized.

Comparing alcohol prices in Morocco to Russian standards, the Russian photographer notes that the prices in the kingdom are high. For example, he specifies that a small glass in a restaurant costs about 1000 rubles (about 125 Moroccan dirhams), while a bottle of Russian vodka is offered in supermarkets for nearly 8000 rubles (about 1000 Moroccan dirhams). On the other hand, he notes that certain types of Moroccan wines are sold at moderate prices, ranging between 350 and 900 rubles (between 44 and 112 dirhams), and present, according to him, a quality sometimes comparable to that of French wines.

Regarding cultural and social changes, Neskhodimov says he notices a growing enthusiasm for learning English at the expense of French, as well as a decline in the number of smokers and a widespread adoption of bank payment cards. These indicators reflect a new dynamic in Moroccan society, in line with global technological and cultural developments, he believes.