Temple Bar's Meeting House Square was transformed yesterday into a bustling Moroccan market as part of a week-long festival celebrating Islamic culture.
Rain did not deter organisers from presenting a warm display of Moroccan life. Co-ordinators from Temple Bar Properties worked with the Moroccan embassy and the Moroccan Tourist Office in London to create a "Casablanca bazaar".
Under a vibrant canopy, vendors offered an array of authentic Moroccan pottery, lanterns, belts and rugs.
Woodcutter Mohammed Arbiti demonstrated traditional practices to produce intricate carvings, while a calligrapher translated names into Arabic.
A neighbouring marquee cooked up lamb kebabs, baklava and other Moroccan fare. The Wexford-based Gnawa trance music band entertained onlookers with drums, dancing and colourful national costumes.
The Season of Islamic Culture, which runs until next Sunday, will include an evening of Iranian music, an exhibition of photographs from Palestine and Beirut, and a reading from the Turkish novelist Moris Farhi.
The award-winning film Osama will be screened in Meeting House Square tomorrow evening, and storytelling with Iranian musician Laurent Galili takes place on Sunday.
Festival organiser Grainne Millar hopes the events will "promote a more positive image of Islamic culture and reflect Dublin's growing Islamic population".
The Moroccan market continues today.