About 200km south of Chefchaouen lies Fes. Founded in 789 AD, Fes is the oldest of Morocco’s cities. It’s also regarded as the country’s spiritual, cultural and intellectual center, particularly as it houses the oldest university in the world.
After a long drive, we reached our beautiful Riad within Fes medina late afternoon. And immediately a couple of us booked for Hammam and Massage which was available at the Riad. Hammam is a middle eastern well being practice, essentially a steam bath with rich olive-based soap and intense scrubbing. It was a great experience and made my skin feel smooth and shiny for a few days.
The next morning, after breakfast, our guide for the day took us on an explorative tour of the city, walking in its alleys and small streets, starting at the Royal Palace gate.
The Merenids built this “New City” in the 13th century, when they realized that Fes el Bali would be too small to contain their palaces. The grand Royal Palace takes center stage here. Its 80 hectares of grounds are not open to the public, though, you can stop and admire its ornately decorated entranceway.
Our next stop was on top of a hill to get a panoramic view of Fes walled medina and the surrounding Atlas mountains.
We then wandered into the Fes’s crowded medina, admiring the vibrant colorful souk (marketplace), where practically any thing you can think of was being sold – Fruits & Vegetables, Nuts, Food, Fabric, Leather goods, Ornaments, Cloths, Jewellery, wood carvings etc. Fes souks are as chaotic and crowded as any bazaar in India and we felt at home here.
Fes medina is also home to religious schools such as 14th century Medersa el-Attarine which was decorated with elaborate cedar carvings and ornate tile work. We climbed up the medersa’s rooftop to get a view of the green tiled roof and the inside of Qataouiyine Mosque next door, one of the worlds first universities. We also visited a Tannery, watched pottery making in a ceramic factory.
The only way to get the iconic bird’s-eye views over the dying pits, where hides are soaked in a multitude of colors to later become bags, clothing, shoes, and a variety of other products, is to head to the leather stores surrounding the tannery area, which offer views from their rooftops.
Fes medina was way bigger and more crowded than the one in Chefchaouen. It is worth spending a couple of days here.
The next morning we were off to Merzouga, which would take us thru the Middle Atlas mountains.