Today we took the train to Fez (Fes) for a guided tour. What an incredible city, with so much history shown in the layout of the medinas and the architecture of the buildings. The first photo is the Royal Palace of Fez, Dar el Makhzen, (the king has many palaces throughout Morocco). In the next photo, I am holding an incredibly helpful language guide created by a thoughtful young student who thought I might need some assistance communicating in Morocco. This is a gift I have used a great deal since arriving, and in the guide she mentioned that I must go visit Fez. Here I am in Fez, Gelilla, with your handy guide at my side! Thank you so very much for the time and effort you put in to making this for me, it will be a gift I treasure for years (and travels) to come!
Within the old medina, we came across many merchants selling food- including live chickens. I wish I could have somehow captured the smell of the medina souk, as it was such a unique sensory experience. You would come across the pleasant smells of rose oil, mint, lavender, and bread baking, but then just as quickly be assaulted with the smell of tanning chemicals, urine, or the sharp smell of olives. If you love the smell of olives- you would have been in heaven. Of all the foods in the world, I only dislike two- raw oysters, and you guessed it; olives.
We were walking down one of the narrow streets, when we saw a door open to our left. Inside, there was a room below street level, with stairs leading to another room below street level, where there were people baking fresh loaves of bread. Young boys were running back and forth from the medina, taking bread to merchants, shops, or restaurants. My travel partner, Laura, had the genius idea to buy some directly from the bakers- still warm and so good! I will miss all of the fresh bread when I leave Morocco!
Yes, donkeys are allowed... in fact, they are pretty much the only form of transportation allowed in the souk, an area of the old medina where food is sold. I had to train my ears to hear the word, "balek!" which meant "look out!" in order to get out of the way before getting run over by a donkey or a person hauling a heavy load.
Every now and then, when meandering through the medina, we came across stores selling djellabas, the traditional dress worn by Moroccan women. Today women primarily wear these to weddings and festivals. There was a neighborhood of Fes where tailors lived and worked (shop on the main level and their homes above). We were told that this was the place to buy djellabas, as you could be sure they would be of good quality.
We saw hundreds of rugs at a carpet cooperative while in Fes. The company teaches primarily unwed mothers to weave these beautiful carpets and tapestries in order to create income for themeselves and their families. We were welcomed with tea, of course, and shown the many different stypes of carpet. The cost of each carpet depends on the number of knots tied, the dyes used, and the amount of detail in the designs.
As I mentioned above, there were neighborhoods for different kinds of craftsmenship, one being the leather working area. The tanneries are on top of buildings in this neighborhood and the smell is pretty terrible- I learned that the large vats of dye have not only chemicals in them, but also pigeon excrement. The men use the same method that have been used for hundred of years, using their feet to stomp the hides of goats and sheep in to the vats of dye. Workers are not paid well, and the job is difficult- particularly in the summers, when the sun is most intense and temperatures can reach the mid-90s. When you tour this area, you are given mint to hold to your nose.