Fes, Morocco
So, let's begin our Morocco Top Ten....from where else, but the top!!
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| balak! balak! Medina mule (carrying gas tanks) passing! |
The Motleys loved Fes.
It is quintessential Morocco all wrapped up in ochre mud brick homes,
sturdy medina walls and rooftops dusted with satellite dishes. From a distance, you would swear that the
city was empty but inside covered medieval souks, life goes on in a buzz as it
has for thousands of years.
Although now
UNESCO World Heritage listed, its importance was recognised by French General
Lyautey in 1913. Subsequent renovation
and restoration programs have retained this Imperial city’s “caravanserai”
trading flavour, ensured artisans skills are not lost, and brought modernity in
moderation.
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| Local Colour |
Our hotel (Jnan Sbile) was perfectly located opposite
beautiful walled gardens and near enough to Fes’ old medina (Fes el-Bali). We were homesick for Delhi in an instant. As
we only had one day, we had Aziz guide us through some of the reputed 9000
lanes and streets all filled with shops and goodies to buy. A 13th
century rabbit warren of narrow lanes, sights that made the eyes water and the
stomach turn were set side by side with aromatic spices, pungent preserved
olives and lemons and sticky sweet desserts.
We spent the day being “balak”ed (look out!) by donkey
drivers, hassled in carpet shops and flattered by textile merchants. We held our noses in the tanneries, ate
pigeon pastillas with relish in exotic restaurants, explored Medersa Bou Inania (1375), donated to
wandering minstrels and still managed time to shop. It’s the kind of place you really must get
lost in…
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| Not an easy life in the Tanneries |
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