Need we say more?

Well yes, actually, we do need to say more about Fearless Nadia, one of—if not the—most badass stuntwomen in Bollywood history. Born Mary Evans in Perth, Australia, she moved to India in 1913 at the age of 5, and learned how to ride a horse on the North-West Frontier Province (modern-day Pakistan). She would go on to study ballet, and later toured with the Zarko Circus. When a fortune-teller told her that a robust career was in store for her on the condition she change her name to something that began with an “N,” Evans promptly baptized herself “Nadia.”

First cast in a film by the prominent filmmaker and founder of Wadia Movietone, J.B.H Wadia, Nadia received rave reviews and with her multitude of skills soon became Movietone’s leading stuntwoman, reaching the height of her fame in 1935 with the iconic film Hunterwali, or “Lady of the Whip,” a roll that turned her into a somewhat curious populist symbol in pre-independence India—the white, blond-haired, blue-eyed woman rallying the Indian people against British imperialism. She would go on to star in many a J.B.H. production, including Diamond Queen, where she was joined by several notable actors, a “stunt car” named “Rolls-Royce ki Beti” (“Daughter of Rolls Royce”) and a dog named “Gunboat.” A woman of many love affairs, Nadia ended up marrying J.B.H.’s brother, Homi Wadia, in 1961. She died in Mumbai in 1996.

This vintage poster of Lutaroo Lalnoo featuring the queen of the screen, Fearless Nadia was found in a little shop in Chor Bazaar, a go-to spot for collectors of vintage Bollywood posters in Mumbai. To explore Chor Bazaar and more vintage Bollywood posters head on over here. 

Project Bly lets you explore and shop street markets around the world. At Bly, we believe in one-of-a-kind and we are committed to the idea that there is something special in the hand-to-hand transaction. We believe in stories, in history and the way an object can come to encapsulate something much bigger than itself. We believe that a city is a living, breathing organism, and to get to know it you have to wander its streets, the veins that fork and converge and inevitably lead you to its heart—the marketplace.

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But the souks are not the only marketplace in Marrakech. The 12th century red ramparts that encircle the medina are dotted by babs or gates, and the northern gate that leads to the national highway N-9 also leads to a local flea market held every Thursday from eight am to noon.  Marrakech’s other market isn’t a well-kept secret, but few tourists venture here, and you’ll find mostly locals shopping for everything from tagine pots to old toasters. If you look hard enough, the flea market is also full of hidden treasures.

Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly

The weekly flea market at Bab el-Khemis is located to the NE of the medina near the National Highway 9. N9 as the highway is known on the map meets up with N8, the highway to Fez close to the gate.

Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly.

A few hundred feet from Bab el-Khemis within the medina is a quiet garden of the same name.

Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly

As soon as you enter the gate, you’ll come across a wide road lined with vendors selling second hand goods. Keep going! The flea market continues for a while and then there’s a turn-off to the left. It’s in here that we found the good stuff!

Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly

The flea market at Bab el-Khemis is famous for architectural salvage pieces like these riad doors. 

If you’ve got a discerning eye and a lot of patience you’ll find treasure buried in these shops! Scroll down to see what we found.

Top Row: Vintage Carved Tuareg Spoons | Hand-Carvec Chouari Cedar Chest | Tuareg Silver Fibula

Bottom Row: Antique Riad Door Keys | Antique Handira Berber Wedding Blanket | Tuareg Amulet Necklace

Get inspired by our lookbook from Marrakech.

Antique Berber Loom Heddles found at the flea market at El-Khemis hang on the wall. Photography by Jessica Comingore for Project Bly.

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