A Fez-tastic Time in Morocco: Whether You Call it "Fez" or "Fes," It's Still Fantastic

As I noted earlier, the level of tour we booked this time had optional elements to it, and today's all-day tour of Fez was one of those. Only about half of our group signed up for it, which really surprised me. We ran into members of our group at various times during the day, but I still can't help thinking those folks missed out. Their loss, however, was our gain, as the smaller group was much more manageable, particularly in the often very narrow and usually crowded alleyways of the city.

We had a lovely view of the sun rising above the snow-capped mountains from the roof-top restaurant of our hotel. We would have a similarly spectacular view of the sunset from this same restaurant later in the day.

Fez was capital of Morocco for more than 400 years, and as such, has reportedly the best examples of Moorish architecture in the country. As I wrote before, there are three distinct medinas, or old towns, for Fez, and the so-called new town is in fact 400 years-old itself. The previous night we had been driven up to some high ramparts on the southern end of the city, from where our guide was able to orient us and explain the various sections of town. This morning we started from equally high ground, but on the northern end of the city, from a well-preserved fortification. From this vantage point we could see a entirely new section of the city, sprawling outward into the neighboring farmland. It is nicknamed "New Agadir," and it was built to house tens of thousands of people relocated after a devastating earthquake in the city of Agadir in 1960. It was the most severe recorded earthquake in Morocco's history, which roughly a third of the city population killed (~15,000 people).

Fort Overlooking the City of Fez

Panorama of Fez

We made our way down to the medina, and as we had read and then were told, it is a literally incomprehensible maze of thousands of alleyways and passages. It is a city within the city, and is the largest urban area in the world closed off to vehicular traffic. Aside from foot traffic, the only mode of transportation within the walls is donkey. Even bikes are not allowed, which is understandable, given how narrow most of the passages are. Our guidebook had highly recommended paying for a guide if you were on your own, as finding your way would be nearly impossible, with no easy way to orient yourself; even the sun was blocked in most of the city, so it's hard to tell what time of day it might be. We had a local guide for the day, along with Abdou, and another "wrangler" who's job was to ensure none of the party was lost. With the winding and narrow passages, I'm still amazed we didn't lose anyone. The wrangler would run down one alley only to emerge from another at many times. I once saw him from a second floor window, using his finger to count us before he disappeared again. As on earlier Gate1 tours, and invaluable in this instance, we all had wireless headphones, so we could hear our guide, even though we rarely could see him.

Navigating the narrow alleys of the Medina

Snail (blech!) Vendor

We had already learned that Moroccan architecture (which they trace to the Andalusian influence from Spain) is focused on interiors. The exteriors of buildings were purposely bland, without ornamentation (except over doors), balconies, or windows. That conveys the image of equity between classes, but then all the money and attention is focused on the interior of buildings, many of which were incomprehensibly ornate, even over the top. The interior courtyards are called "riads," and we were told to qualify as a legitimate riad, it would have to have gardens and a fountain, and be open to the sky. All of the light into a home was to come through the riad, and in turn through windows and balconies facing the courtyard. We visited many of these riads, and not only in Fez. Each one seemed more beautiful than the next, and Anna announced that our retirement home had to have this -- no if's, and's, or but's. It was not open for discussion.

Souk Not Yet Awake

Souk

We were able to see, through a doorway, the courtyard for the oldest operating university in the world -- Al Karouine. It is an Islamic university, operating continually since the year 859. As such, we -- non-Muslims -- were not able to visit. The same applied to the beautiful mausoleum for Moulay Idriss (founder of Islamic Morocco), several courtyards of which we were able to glimpse from a couple of doorways. We had a fantastic -- visually and literally -- lunch inside the converted home of a merchant, with multiple riads which had been turned into dining areas. The same applied to an incredibly ornate home which was converted to a carpet showroom. Yes, we did make a rug purchase.

Riad Converted Into a Carpet Showroom

Detail in the Carpet Showroom

Entrance to Al Karouine University

Oldest Operating University in the World

Another Riad

Room Off the Riad Courtyard

Vendor Making Chairs To Carry a Bride in Her Wedding

Interior Riad of a Carpentry Museum

View of Old Fez From Roof of Carpentry Museum

Mausoleum for Moulay Idriss (founder of Islamic Morocco)

Another Entrance to the Mausoleum

Hat, Anyone?

Riad Where We Ate Lunch

A high -- and low -- light of the day was our visit to the famous tanneries of Fez. There is a centuries-old area of the medina were leather is made and sold. As we snaked our way closer to the area, the smell worsened. As we were directed into another large merchant's home, we were handed large sprigs of fresh mint, which we learned we were to hold under our nose to counter (unsuccessfully, I might add) the smell of the tannery. We walked up two flights of stairs, to a large balcony overlooking the tannery below, where men toiled to treat and dye thousands of hides. The clay pools in which they worked were filled with lye and pigeon guano -- a combination used for centuries. We learned that a kilogram of pigeon poop would fetch $2, which can quickly add up for a poor Moroccan. The smell was overwhelming, and I still can't imagine how one might get used to it, let alone actually work in the pits below. We were given the opportunity to shop for leather goods on site, in a series of beautiful showrooms, but the smell sapped most of our interest.

Not Sure the Selection Was Great Enough...

Only Non-Foot Traffic Allowed in the Old City

View Down to the Tanneries

Neighborhood Bakery -- Families Make Dough at Home, and Bring it Here To Be Baked

Somehow we eventually emerged on the far end of the medina, to find our bus waiting. Whereas it had been very cool within the city, with many of us wearing our coats, as soon as we emerging into the sun, it was actually hot. Throughout our trip, the daytime temperatures were in the 70's or so, with 50's at night. Very pleasant to say the least, but the differences between shade and sun were extreme. We found it laughable, too, that the Moroccans were dressed for winter, even in the open sun. They all seemed to wearing black snow jackets regardless of the time of day, and the vast majority wore hats, many of which were ski caps. That tells me they've adapted to their climate, and that it must be hotter than Hades in the summer months.

We drove to the middle-old medina from here, which neighbors the huge royal palace compound, and which housed the once substantial Jewish population of Fez. We spent a long time visiting a huge Jewish cemetery, in the middle of which they were gathering the blossoms of the bitter orange trees that grew there. The smell was intoxicating, but a difficult juxtaposition to the fact we were in a graveyard. We also visited a Jewish synagogue, which had been converted into a museum. We learned that only about 700 Jewish families remain in Fez, whereas there used to be thousands. Our guide claimed that Christian, Jewish, and Muslims families had thrived in Fez for centuries. I do not know how true this is, but that was the story. He did say that most of the Jews left after the founding of Israel. The story was such that the Moroccans generals installed under the French protectorate were convinced to stage several fake terrorist attacks against Jews (including a deadly explosion in a movie theater frequented by Jews), which successfully led many of them to emigrate to Israel. Our local guide claimed, too, that many ultimately returned to Morocco, after the French left, as they said they were in fact discriminated against in Israel, as they were Sephardic vice Askenazi Jews. While I believe the truth is likely somewhere in the middle, it was still an interesting historical point, about which I want to read more. Interestingly, too, as we walked toward the temple (now museum), we passed many large, abandoned homes. They stood in stark contrast to the neighboring buildings, which were in very good shape. We were told these were the homes of Jews who had left for Israel decades earlier. Moroccan law protects abandoned property for 100 years, so if the property is not sold outright, it has to be left empty (and untouched) until the years pass, at which point the state can claim and sell the building.

Jewish Cemetery

Sorting the Bitter Orange Blossoms

Former Synagogue

It was downright hot in the late afternoon sun, as we finally made our way to the royal palace. As this palace, along with every other royal residence in Morocco, is closed to the public, there was little to see, other than incredibly beautiful and ornate gates. We were all spent, however, after a full day of touring, and ending up in the warm sun. We opted for an early dinner, at the hotel, where we had the previously mentioned view of the sun setting over this, our last night in Fez.