Cal and VA | Adventures | Morocco

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Tuesday - 1 November 2022 - Today we explored the Fez Medina well into the evening.

morocco2022 — We started by heading to the tannery - Cal wanted to be there early in hopes of good light for photographs. This is the area where dyed yarn is displayed.

morocco2022 — Looking for the day's cat picture we spotted this one in a small eatery looking through the window.

morocco2022 — Passing by an old door.

morocco2022 — We made it to the tannery which shops surround. To look into the tannery you need to visit one of the shops - with no commitment to purchase, however, you will be shown many products from handbags, to clothing to poufs. You are given mint sprigs to hold near your nose as the smell from the tannery is a bit overwhelming.

The tannery is broken into two areas - the softening (the white vats) and the dyeing vats.

morocco2022 — It looked like this guy was applying yellow dye to the skins and then setting out to dry (cure?).

Large skins hang to dry off the building.

morocco2022 — The Chouara Tannery dates from the city's founding by Idris II at the beginning of the 9th century. The tanning industry operates in the same way it did in the early centuries

Here a worker is taking hides out of a dyeing vat.

morocco2022 — Hides of cows, sheep, goats, and camels are processed by first soaking in a series of the white liquids - made from various mixtures of cow urine, pigeon feces, quicklime, salt, and water - in order to clean and soften the tough skins. This process takes two to three days and prepares the hides to readily absorb the dyes.

This was a big reason for the mint sprigs - it was very odoriferous.

morocco2022 — Historical sources indicate the tanneries were a major industry even in the city's early history and tied to a large part of its economy. In the late 12th to early 13th centuries there were a total of 86 tanning workshops in the city, while a later source claims that there was around a hundred in the late 13th to 15th centuries.

morocco2022 — The hides are soaked in the dyeing solutions, which use natural colorants such as poppy for red, indigo for blue, and henna for orange. After the dyeing, they are dried in the sun.

morocco2022 — Craftsman working on brass in a small shop.

morocco2022 — Another craftsman working on brass nearby.

morocco2022 — Not sure how you find a pair in this pile.

morocco2022 — Bab Rcif - a new gate to the Medina near the tannery.

morocco2022 — Mosaic craftsman making small tiles for tables and fountains.

morocco2022 — We were told over and over not to venture into the alleyways of the Fez Medina - over 9,000 paths in total - many very narrow.

morocco2022 — Virginia Ann is ahead of Cal in this picture - Cal had to walk sideways through many of the passages. Thankfully we only ran into a few people coming the other way.

morocco2022 — Fresh fruit in the market - many vendors selling pomegranates as they were in season.

morocco2022 — A "street" in the Medina.

morocco2022 — A date vendor - packing a lot of dates into a small stand.

morocco2022 — Olives were plentiful - and beautiful displays.

Humans have raised olives for 100,000 years on the coast of Morocco.

morocco2022 — Olives up close.

Morocco is the sixth-largest producer of olives in the world.

morocco2022 — Butcher peeking through the hanging meats.

morocco2022 — Typical small shop off the street,

morocco2022 — We visited the Al-Attarine Madrasa, which was built to train Islamic scholars in Islamic law and jurisprudence.

There were rooms where they provided accommodations for students, particularly those from outside Fes. Many of these students were poor, seeking enough education to gain a higher position in their hometown, and the madrasas provided them with lodging and food.

morocco2022 — The Al-Attarine madrasa was built between 1323 and 1325 on the orders of the Marinid sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman II.

The prayer hall with beautiful tile work.

morocco2022 — A photograph from one of the dorm rooms into the prayer room.

morocco2022 — Due to the street access and space the prayer room is on the right side of the main hall - unusual as typically they are in the middle of the back wall. They must face Meca so this one had to be adjusted.

morocco2022 — Cal and Virginia Ann take a break on one of the benches in the courtyard.

morocco2022 — The windows of a dorm room on the second floor.

morocco2022 — This store is packed - you can hardly see the purveyor!!!!

morocco2022 — The Zawiya of Moulay Idris II is an Islamic shrine and religious complex. It contains the tomb of Idris II, who ruled Morocco from 807 to 828 and is considered the main founder of the city of Fez. It is considered one of the holiest shrines in Morocco.

This is the lesser doorway to the Zawiya in its southeastern corner, surrounded by painted wood, carved stucco, and hand cut mosaic.

morocco2022 — Detail on the wood doors of the inlay and paint.

morocco2022 — Detail of the marble work near the door.

morocco2022 — Decoration on the outer south wall of the mausoleum, and a slot opening for giving alms.

morocco2022 — As close to the mausoleum non-believers can get - the western vestibule, granting direct access to the mausoleum chamber beyond.

morocco2022 — Marble work on the door columns to the west door.

morocco2022 — Over the west door is intricate wood work.

morocco2022 — Virginia Ann in front of the tile along the mausoleum wall.

morocco2022 — Very detailed work on the walls.

morocco2022 — Local color in front of a public fountain.

morocco2022 — One of the many "streets" in Fez - long narrow and stores on both sides.

Virginia Ann is in the picture - can you spot her?

morocco2022 — Beautiful old door of the Mausoleum of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani built in the 18th century.

morocco2022 — Detail of the inlay on the doors.

morocco2022 — Pretty old door with an ancient knocker.

morocco2022 — A mosque near our hotel in the setting sunlight.

morocco2022 — For dinner we went on a tasting tour in the Fez Medina. Virginia Ann was game and surprised at how delicious the street food tasted. We were escorted by a guide who specializes in Medina tasting tours - he had plastic forks, wipes, and napkins. We felt safe as he had vetted all the vendors we visited.

We started with harira - a spiced vegetable bean soup - very good. In this market we had fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

morocco2022 — The Blue Gate into the Fez Medina.

morocco2022 — We had a tasting from a bread vendor - with many types of breads. Then we went for the main course - BBQ meats. On the right is a man in a red apron - he is our chef.

We dined on lamb, beef, and camel. Lamb was so tender, the beef tasty but the big surprise was how good the camel tasted. It was a camel meat ground into a sausage patty mixed with herbs and spices - even Virginia Ann liked.

morocco2022 — The helpful signs at a "street" intersection.

morocco2022 — After the main course we stopped to sample pastries and at this location fresh dates.

morocco2022 — After sampling camel we learned it the sausage is packed into camel spleens, then sliced and grilled - at this butcher you can see the sausage on the counter.

morocco2022 — We did not have the chicken - at this vendor you have the expensive free-range chickens in dark feathers on the right and the less expensive farm raised white chickens behind on the left.

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