20131115 Fes: Had a good night’s sleep. Up about 7:30, down for breakfast with our group, in the bus at 9:00. Headed for Art Naji, one of the prime makers of Fes pottery. We were given a tour that started with the dry clay, went into where shapes were made, and then on to areas where details were painted or chipped out of fired materials. Impressive.
Then took bus to near the Medina and followed Ishmael into some of the 15,000 streets and alleys in an area inhabited by 250,000 people. On your own, you’d be lost and never found. Narrow streets, lots of people, shops and stands line the alleys and streets. Hard to take images given the crowding.
After walking a good deal through the medina, we crossed over an outside space to the tannery. We climbed up several flights of stairs to get to a roof balcony to look at the vast sets of vats. One whole area (square vats) is used to soften the leather. Round vats with colors in them are used to dye the leather. Mostly goat for leather and camel belly for suede. They explained the process and the time it takes to get the leather done ready to be sent to shops to make into about everything. We went story by story down with different goods for sale at each level.
Back into the medina and to lunch at Restaurant Asmae where we had a huge assortment of salads before our main courses and the fruit and cookies. Lots of food like everywhere else.
Final visit in the medina was to Medrassa Attarine with its wonderful architecture. All the details are made by hand engraving in the plaster. Was a school and now is only used for religious holidays.
Back to the hotel on the bus. Nice lecture by Ron about 5:30. Dinner at 7:00. My only quandary right now is whether the laundry I sent out yesterday will make it back to me to pack for tomorrow!
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