Borj Sud

Unreal guided tour of Fes today! We learnt that Fes is super unique in that it is completely untouched since it’s construction in the 8th century. Most other places we’ve visited (including in Europe) have been invaded, burnt or damaged during war so have been rebuilt in recent history. We were excited to see a Medina as well preserved and old as this one!

📍 Military Fortress which had a lookout over the Medina - stunning views. We could even see the cemetery which was incredible. Thousands of white tombstones all facing towards Mecca.

📍 Royal Palace of Fes - amazing piece of architecture. The details on the doors were just incredible 😍

📍 Art D’ARGILE - a workshop where they make mosaics and pottery. We had a guided tour through the whole process and watched the craftsman at every stage. From the wet clay all the way through to the design, glazing and chiselling the individual mosaic pieces. It was absolutely incredible seeing how they work with this traditional method.

📍 Fes Medina - Wow, this was unlike anything we’ve seen. A huge maze like labyrinth, with winding alleyways going in multiple directions. It’s organised into sections from fresh produce, metal, textiles, wood, leather. We wandered through here for hours, perusing the various shops and watching the craftsmen in action. We saw the auctioning section, where there are hundreds of people bargaining and trading various items. I could have spent the whole day just walking through here! No cars inside the Medina, so lots of horses and donkeys transporting goods through the narrow streets. We were told to listen for the word “Balak” which means “coming through” and move quickly 🤣 We got to see first hand many different craftsman in action. Dying clothes, knife sharpening, tailors sewing, pastry making, wood carving just to name a few. The meat section was crazy, every kind of animal part you can imagine (even the whole head of a goat, fur and all)

📍 Medrassa Attarin meaning ‘school’ in the heart of the Medina where children used to attend for learning the Koran. A stunning square shaped building filled with little arch windows, mosaics and a huge fountain for washing in the center.

📍 Lunch @ Le Piatio in the Medina. We shared a variety of Moroccan dishes including loca bread, dips, pickled vegetables, olives, tajines and pastilla. Amazing food!

📍 Fez Tannery - we had a guided tour of where they process the skins to make leather (Fes’s largest industry). We were handed a stalk of mint on the way in, to help mask the smell. Although the smell was almost unbearable, it was absolutely fascinating to watch. First they wash the skins with limestone which burns the hair off, then they wash it multiple times in a concoction of pigeon poo + water which softens it, making it more malleable. Followed by multiple washes in the coloured dye to give its colour. They had a huge shop dedicated to their leather goods produced.

📍 Wood Museum - we got to see many different hand carved wooden objects. From prosthetics to cooking utensils to cosmetic tools. Impressive!

📍 Mosque Al Qaraouiyine - originally a mosque but later a center for learning, is the oldest University in the world.

📍 Textiles silk shop - We had a demonstration to see how they make textiles using a special machine. We saw the silk they use from the aloe vera plant and how they do the embroidery.

Dinner & live Arabic music at a restaurant near our hotel, fun night!Read more