The thousand and one Fez

Oct. 15 2013

by Laurence Ogiela / TÊTU

It is away from the classic tourist circuits. Not by the sea, not in the desert. In the heart of the Middle Atlas, Fez is the oldest imperial city in Morocco. The most authentic. And also the most religious.

You don't come here to sunbathe like in Essaouira, nor to party like in Marrakech or Tangier. One comes there to soak up its thousand-year-old clamour. Cultural and spiritual capital of the Alaouite kingdom, it offers an almost mystical interlude in a modern world where everything goes too fast

If the modern city, Fez El Djedid, was built at the time of the French protectorate, the medina, Fez El Bali, has not moved for 1200 years. It is classified as a world heritage site by Unesco

Seen from above, the houses seem to form an inextricable labyrinth where one could jump from one terrace to another. Apart from the song of the muezzin that spreads from one minaret to another, the city seems to be asleep. But, once crossed Bab Boujloud, the most beautiful of the seven doors of the medina, everything is noise, profusion of colors and sensations

It is easy to get lost in the 9,400 alleys, and you should not hesitate to ask for directions. The Fassis are happy to accompany you to your destination, sometimes for a modest baksheesh. The Talaa Kebira (or its less charming twin, the Talaa Kebira), which starts at Bab Boujloud is a good Ariadne's thread: it crosses the whole medina from north to south. If you get lost, or rather every time you get lost, you end up finding it again.

The roofs of Fez ©Mariano Sanz Place

As soon as you enter the old city, you are caught up in the flow of onlookers in the scent of grilled lamb, mint, cumin ... In the narrow and winding alleys, under the shady light of reed laths, it is the effervescence. "Balek, Balek!" ("Beware!") To the cries of the muleteers, it is necessary to push oneself quickly to let pass the carts overflowing with goods.

The tourist office of Fez has designed six thematic routes marked with stars of different colors to visit the medina. The orange stars follow the walls and fortifications that encircle the city, the blue ones indicate the monuments and souks, the green ones point the way to the palaces and Andalusian gardens, and the black stars trace the circuit of the crafts

More than 30,000 artisans work in the heart of Fez-El-Bali. Organized in distinct districts, the souks of dyers, tanners, tinsmiths, blacksmiths, coppersmiths, carpenters, leatherworkers, jewelers, sellers of carpets or fabrics are a complete mosaic of Moroccan crafts

On the Seffarine square, a regular hammering announces the work of the boilermakers who make huge pots and coppersmiths who carve pewter dishes. The most impressive is the Chouara, the souk of the tanners. The sweet and peppery smell of dried fruits and spices gives way to the stench of an old sheepfold. Tourists, who are offered mint leaves to fight against the stench, are invited to climb on panoramic terraces to discover a striking spectacle. In earthen cells filled with red or saffron yellow pigments, tanners immersed in mid-thigh dive tirelessly animal skins to color them. One would think one was in a painting by the orientalist painter Eugène Delacroix. Here, time has stood still. Since the Middle Ages, these men repeat the same unchanging ballet.

Even today the maalems, the master craftsmen of the Fassi, prove their ancestral know-how by restoring fondouks, medersas, palaces and other riads of Arab-Andalusian architecture.

Photo tanneries © Josep Renalias

Fez is a really confusing city at first sight. To better master it, climb on the terrace of a riad, like Riad 9, run by Stephen and Bruno, which overlooks the whole Medina. You can see the ramparts of the old city, the Roman ruins, the Atlas Mountains in the distance... At sunset, while admiring the panorama, it is easy to imagine that the clamor of the city, which circulates from terrace to terrace, has been the same for centuries

Homosexuality in Moroccois illegal and punishable by six months to three years in prison (+ fines of 120 to 1000 dirhams), although tourists are rarely bothered (except in cases of prostitution). Islam is the state religion here and the king is commander of the believers. One might as well say that sexuality is not a joke here and homosexuality is one of the biggest taboos.
Since 2004, the association Kifkif, based in Madrid, tries to defend the rights of Moroccan LGBT. It has launched the magazine Mithly, the first Moroccan LGBT magazine in Arabic.

Main photo:Bjørn Christian Tørrissen