Morocco’s bustling Fes el-Bali
Fes is one of the more authentic oriental cities; not only in Morocco but within the Islamic world.
While Marrakesh has its maze of shops and the incomparable Djemaa el-Fna, Rabat its white washed houses framed by the Atlantic and Meknes its imposing adobe walls, Fes is a cacophony of sounds, smells, people, mules, mosques and houses.
Fes is not a tale of isolated monuments: it is a living, breathing city and one of the best examples of an oriental souq or market that this writer has had the pleasure to visit. This writer being archaeologist and Academy Travel tour leader Ben Churcher...
While the souq at Aleppo, Syria, (now sadly largely destroyed) oozed history and the souq at Istanbul is big and brash, Fes is a place where people live, shop and work. There are tourist shops but there are also butchers, carpenters, metal workers, basket sellers and clothing shops. Mules laden with goods push past you as the drivers yell ‘barrak’ (‘careful’ in Arabic) as they charge ahead knowing everyone will get out of their way. There are alleys where the houses on either side literally touch each of your shoulders, public fountains, wondrous doors held shut with ancient locks and people from all over Morocco - from smart western dressed students to Berbers from the mountains wearing pointed-hooded djellaba.
If you are not afraid to get lost (momentarily), take a walk through Fes el-Bali (Old Fes) and just experience it all. I recommend starting at the uphill Bab Boujloud (an ornate city gate to Fes el Bali, pictured above).
Once you enter through the gate, brush off the ‘guides’ who offer to show you the city (or if so inclined take them up on their offer and while you won’t get lost you will find it hard to avoid being taken to a number of shops selling carpets, metalwork or fabrics!). 100 or so metres from the gate, take the first left to get to Rue Talaa Kebira. From here you head downhill, past the Bou Inania Madersa, and into the heart of Fes el-Bali.
Along the way you’ll pass innumerable shops selling everything from fresh camel heads (I kid you not) to antique brass ware. I suggest finding a quite nook and just stopping and letting the world pass you by. You’ll see faces from all corners of Morocco and for those photographically inclined, if you choose a spot with and interesting backdrop, it is an unobtrusive way to get some great photographs as people unsuspectingly walk into your frame of view.
When the terrain flattens out, search out the signs for Place Rcif that the Moroccan Tourist Board has kindly installed at strategic locations. Naturally you’ll become disorientated but a polite request for ‘Place Rcif?’ will get you back on your path.
In the flatter section of the city is the mausoleum of the 8th-century founder of Fes, Moulay Idriss II, and reputedly the world’s oldest university: the al-Karaouine mosque (pictured below).
You soon cross by a bridge over the Jawhar River (the ‘River of Jewels’): although today it’s a rather filthy stream and not looking like a ‘River of Jewels’ in the least! The water in this river is, however, used in Fes’s famous leather tannery (pictured below) where you can hold a sprig of mint against your nose and see the leather tanners at work stomping hides in their multi-coloured vats. All the main vantage points are occupied by shops bulging with every imaginable leather good and while you are free to just look, a salesman will be attached to you for your visit. However, be warned. While not noticeable when you’re there, when you get your leather good home, the smell of the tannery comes with you and can take some time to dissipate!
Finally, emerging blinking into the open at the Place Rcif you can take a taxi to your hotel to recover from the tumult and the assault to your senses that accompanies any foray into the heart of Fes.
Travel Morocco with Ben Churcher…
Ben leads our Morocco tour in September 2023, taking you on a comprehensive journey through the diverse delights of Morocco. At a relaxed pace, explore the ancient medinas, lively souks, grand palaces and lush gardens in Morocco’s characteristic cities of Rabat, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes (of course!) and Marrakesh, before crossing the spectacular High Atlas Mountains into the Drâa valley and onto the wind-battered port town of Essaouira. A perfect blend of culture, stunning landscapes and local delicacies awaits.
