Keeper of Stilness II (Morocco, Fez)

On the heights of Fez, Muslim cemeteries stretch out in terraces, whitewashed like the walls of a medina. Unlike European cemeteries, Muslim tombs are often without vertical steles , aligned along the Mecca axis and covered with white plaster to reflect the light—an aesthetic of humility and purity . Names sometimes appear only briefly, the stone intended to blend into the horizon.

The dog, often marginalized in traditional Islamic culture, finds here an involuntary role as guardian of the threshold . In many Moroccan cities, these semi-stray animals end up establishing silent territories—and cemeteries offer the peace, shelter, and low traffic they seek.

But the animal presence at the heart of the sacred is not insignificant: it questions our relationship to exclusion , to the living, and to memory. Faithful without a master, this dog becomes a symbol of vigilance - between the living and their absent.