8-9 July 2023 From Rabat, I then explored the northern part of the country, starting with Fez.
Every major city in Morocco seems to have an old market or old souk, where they have been buying and selling from ancestral times. This market is still protected by the old walls that define the old city, or medina. The old souk in Fez seemed to be livelier, had a more interesting range of products, and more foot traffic.
There were very few advertising billboards, almost without packaging, and no big brand names. Craftsmen could often be seen toiling with their sweat and blood, using traditional tools to make the products for the shopfronts.
It felt like a happy festival was coming. They wanted you to think you were hunting for treasure, not shopping, and best of all, bargain hunting, for treasures. You deserve to take home a piece of the most treasured memory from here, for a negligible price.
Some historical madrassas, mosques, and mausoleums have been well preserved or restored, and their intricate designs still dazzle. Many old walls are still standing. It wasn’t easy to see where they began and where they ended.
It was surprising to find tanneries that process leather goods from animal skins and hides within this old city. I went into a couple. They looked gross and stunk to high heavens. But it seems the process has been used for hundreds of years and is all-natural. So, it is not as bad as they smelled.
It is as though the people were determined to live life the way they have been for centuries.
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