Fes
Bab Boujeloud
One of the main gateways into the Fes el Bali, the old Souq & Medina, the largest in the world. Little has changed for centuries. No wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Morocco Photos:
Some 200,000 people live in this Medina. There is obviously electricity & the inevitable proliferation of modern conveniences, such as satellite dishes. However, that said, the architecture has hardly changed since medieval times and it is easy to feel that you have been transported back in time to a very different, mysterious world.
With our charming & informative guide, Hassan in one of the numerous winding alleyways. Hassan told us that some 85% of the graduates from his university course are still unemployed. Despite being well educated and multi-lingual, being a tourist guide was the only work he could get. Fes by the way has an illustrious academic record, having the world’s oldest university.
A lot of the buildings in Northern Morocco have strong Hispanic-Moorish influences such as this palace, Dar Batha, now turned into an arts & crafts museum.
As with many large dwellings this building is centred round a large, elegant courtyard.
Many of the street fountains, including this one just outside the Dar Batha museum are still in use.
Chouwara Tannery
The centuries old tanneries are a fantastic sight & smell of Fes. You get some herbs to sniff to try & hide the stench. The only way to see the tanneries is to enter one of the surrounding leather shops and be escorted up to the balcony. After a short talk describing the work in the tanneries you are left to take photographs. Then you realise there is no way out without buying something first. The poof in our lounge comes from here.
This is hard dirty work and is considered one of the lowliest traditional jobs in Morocco.
A fairy-tale skyline. Note the loud speakers for the call to prayers on these minarets.
The not so fairy-tale skyline, looking across the roof tops, I was staggered by the number of satellite dishes.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed Fes best out of the main Imperial Cities that we visited in Morocco.
