• Morocco, Spain, Rwanda + S.A.
    The palace gates
    The Jewish Quarter1There is a plan to restore more of the buildings2Little person doorView of the old city. About 150,000 people live here.The "blue gate" to the old cityCeramic paintingPreparing tiles for mosaics1Making a mosaic. The pattern is faced down.Finished products2Some of the alleyways are so narrow you almost need to walk sidewaysCoppersmithCamel butcherShark headsA community ovenDying service. These are jeans.Oldest continuously operating university in the world3In the dorm window at a madrasaOur group at the madrasa2A mosque with a cat greeter2The tannery operates still using traditional methodsDye vatsThe workers stand in the vats in hip wadersThe smells are strong. We here given a sprig of mint to sniffCalligraphy workshopOur names in Arabic at the top; Brad's on the left and mine on the right

    Old City of Fez

    February 17 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We had a jampacked tour of Fez today concentrating on the Old City of Fez, primarily known as Fès el-Bali, a 9th-century UNESCO World Heritage site and the world's largest car-free urban area. It’s a dense, labyrinth filled with medieval architecture, bustling souks, traditional tanneries, and historic madrasas.

    We started out at the gates of the King’s Palace. Like the palace in Casablanca, it’s closed to the public. Built in the 13/14th century, the palace is still in use and has been updated over the years. It now even includes an 18-hole golf course. The same family has ruled Morocco since 1666. The present King was educated in France and is seen as progressive having married a commoner. His wife is also the first ever to be seen in public.

    Next, we toured the Jewish Quarter which at one time had a population of about 20,000.

    We moved on to the heart of the old city dating from the 9th century. It’s a maze of more than 9,000 narrow alleyways. We were grateful we had a guide! Within its walls is Al Quaraouiyine Mosque, the world’s longest continuously operating university established in 857.

    The old city has also retained its artisan community including mosaic and ceramic makers, coppersmiths, and the Chouara Tannery, a historic, 11th-century tannery that still operates using traditional methods. It was jaw-dropping, like a living museum.

    Our final activity was attending a calligraphy workshop where we learned about the art of Arabic calligraphy.

    After a long, busy day we had a restful evening in.    Read more