Thankfully, Nordin our guide arrived and saved us from the thought of having to roam the streets of Fez, unguided and uneducated on our surroundings. The first place we visited was the main entrance know as the blue gate. From the exterior is blue which represent the colour of the region, whilst the interior is green, representing the colour of Islam. After a Kodak moment, we headed to the section that was known as the food market. Roosters, chickens and every fruit and vegetable in season riddled the streets. Butchers hacked at animal carcasses, as store keepers weighed lentils and tourists shoved their cameras in their faces and took numerous photos. At the end of section was the water clock tower - which had been designed by fellow, who I think was Jewish in possibly the 13th century. ( For accurate dates - google now!) From there we headed to a neighbouring school owned by the make of the water clock. The interior was filled with mosaic designs, along with the Koran written in calligraphy through the mosaics. The doors, ceilings and slats were intricately designed with cedar wood. Next we began wandering through the many, many streets and alleyways that make up the medina. Along our walking tour we came across a lot of street art that got Pia all excited. There was an area where the walls had been blocked into different numbered panels. We discovered these were for when they had their elections ever 4 years. Within some of the panels were logos, which was more for the illiterate population so they could quickly identify the candidate for each political party. We continued on and came across the artisian quarters where they paint doors, wooden furniture and so on. An average size door could take up to 2 weeks to finish. After a quick photo shoot we headed further into the heart of the medina to where the tailors were based. Many made the jellaba worn by the men and women. It was at this point we found out what the men in the streets had been doing with the metres of silk. They would find a quietish alley and pull out multiple pieces of silk and then spin them together. Making a thicker silk string. Once spun they would sell it the tailors who used it to sew the intricate designs on the jellaba, belts and headpieces. Onward bound we entered the bronze and silver souk where the blacksmiths made huge cooking pots, plates and other trinkets. The souk was located next to the university.
From there we entered Dar Essad, which used to be a family home, but they turned into a refugee for widows and female orphans. At its peak there were up to 1500 women working for them and still do today, making magnificent Moroccan carpets, some carpets take up to 1 year to finish. We climbed the many narrows staircases up to the roof to admire the view of the medina. Here we sat down with one of the young women making a two sided carpet - one side smooth for summer and the other side fluffier for winter. Kindly, she allowed Pia and I to have a go... She probably went back and cut out the pieces since we had no idea what colours should have been going where. Next we headed back in to the Dar where we sat down to admire the hundreds of beautifully made carpets. As we sipped on mint tea, Abdullah (the head salesman and lawyer for the workers) informed us about the history of the establishment. Before we knew it we were being shown amazing berber designed rugs varying from truly expensive to ones reaching more within our budget...well our make believe budget - There comes a time in your traveling life you need to bite the bullet and buy that painting, carpet, ceramic or jewelry piece you've alway wanted, no matter what the price. Well, Pia and I reached that point in Dar Essad. With our bartering skills combined we managed to walk away with silk, Moroccan rugs covered in berber designs. The credit card transaction was heart wrenching enough but we neglected to think about the extra 5 kilos we'd be hiking around in our backpacks for the remainder of the trip. Good times!!!
Next on the agenda we visited the textile stores, where we saw how they made pashminas and large fabric pieces. Here I was dressed as Laurence of Arabia, whilst Pia searched for her uniquely Moroccan pashmina. Next we roamed the streets which were filled with vibrant plumes of silk and metres of fabric... Then we reached the jewelry shops. Argh!!! After visiting easily a dozen jewelry stores through Morocco, I finally found my ring - That screamed, buy me!! The man asked for an exorbitant price, I chuckled and said some ridiculously lower price. Thinking he wouldn't budge - we bantered back and forth. I already had it in my head I wasn't getting it and as we waited for Nordin and chatted more with the salesmen they agreed to my price! Oh no, if only I asked for less, now I was obligated to buy... What a shame ;) Fez, you're making me broke!
Onward bound to the tanneries... As we entered a leather goods store they took us to the roof and there we looked down into up easily 50 troughs, used for cleaning and tanning the goat skins. The smell was unusual, but the closer to the troughs the more offensive it became. One of the reasons would be that to clean the fur from the skins they leave them in troughs filled with limestone and pigeon droppings - the perfect cleaning combination. After a quick run down on how the tanneries worked, we wandered through the shop and out the door - no purchases this time round.
Last on the agenda was the ceramic section. Beautifully designed tagine cookers, plates, bowls and vases filled the streets. Upon entry into one of the many stores, here we were shown the ceramic process. The urge to buy was tempting, but earlier at lunch, as we munched on our lamb and prunes dish, we met a couple of Americans who were charged $600 just for shipping. As gorgeous as the ceramics were in their hues of blue and green, it would have to be a global village purchase back home in Dubai.
By now the sun was settings, well as much as we could see of the sky through the high walls of the medina. By 6pm, with our valuable carpets delivered to us, I crashed out for the night with a wicked migraine. Fez had taken its toll in me and my senses had gone into overload. Pia went on to the celebrate Christmas Eve at our hostel. They cooked a massive vegetable tagine, large enough for 10 people to munch away at. All nations did their best to represent from Morocco to Australia , Spanish to Korean.
No comments:
Post a Comment