Half the Fez population lives in this crowded warren of narrow passages, there’s mosques, souks, artisan workshops & madrasas (schools for Islamic instruction), and humble homes. The religious and artisan schools, some of the oldest in the world and are located deep at the heart of the Medina. The mosques, of which there are more than 300 in the Medina (the most impressive being the “Quaraouiyine Mosque”, which can hold 20,000 people) are dotted throughout. What’s helpful to the consumer, but perhaps not the vendor, is that the Souk area is laid out like a giant medieval supermarket, with all products and services grouped together. Likewise the artisans too have there own designated areas, where they get to showcase their amazing talents & creations. As we made our way through, we made a few stops where we spent more time with some of the artisans. First stop was the government & UNESCO supported “Palais Quaraouiyine” a 14c carpet emporium which showcased not only some of the finest Arabic & Berber (tribal) rugs I’ve ever seen, but a lesson in how they’re made, where they come from, and some of the stories behind them. From there we moved further in and got a pass into the “Mderssa Rascherratine” a 15c Koranic boarding school recently renovated under the instruction of the king, which was very impressive indeed. Finally we made our way to the Chouara tannery, established in the 11c, where everything has pretty much remained the same ever since. They still use cows’ urine, pigeon poop! quicklime, salt, and water, to strip the leather. The smell is so overpowering that you are provided with some fresh mint to place under your nose. To colour the leather, red dye made from poppies, indigo for blue, and henna for orange which are all natural are used. Each stage is carried out by hand, the way it’s always been.
Dream Chasers 