Exploring Fes

This morning we woke up at 7:30 and had breakfast at the hotel before departing on our tour of Fes. We started our tour at the palace gates which were huge and grand, as are most doors around the city. The craftsman ship and detail that goes into the art here is jaw dropping. 

We then went to the top of the hill from which you could see all of Fes. Our guide pointed out each area to us, the old city, new city and modern city. Following that we headed over to the area of the city that makes mosaics. Our guide took as to the second largest mosaic craft house in Fes.  We watched men throw pottery, paint it and we watched in amazement the men that chiseled away at tiles making mosaic tiles one by one.

We then ventured into the medina, where we saw the oldest university in the entire world, an overwhelmingly huge rug shop and last but not least the tannery. Of course our guide took us to this shop and that shop where he wished for us to shop, so as to be able to earn a commission, but so it goes. He was not so pleased when we didn't need any rugs or coffee tables....

After our tour we ventured around the medina on our own and did some shopping. I got henna on my hand and purchased a great pair of leather shoes for 100 MAD...AKA $12.50.

Pretty sweet.

But that is all boring to read, so here are some pictures, which are perhaps less boring.

I like to think so anyways.

Here is a convenient store in the medina.

 These men hammer at little pieces of tile and make the shapes that go into the mosaics. They sit here and do this for hours....talk about tedious.

The only way to travel or get things through the medina is by donkey. They are very startling when they come up behind you on the particularly narrow path ways. everyone jumps out of the way. Poor wittle guy has to carry all the stuff :(

These women were weaving a carpet. It will take them 4 months, or more, working every work day to complete a single carpet. Mind boggling. They gladly invited me to join them and help, for a tip of course, but it was fascinating. It actually hurt my fingers to do it for one minute, so I don't know how they do it all the time. It is truly insane. Now I fully understand why those rugs cost so much.....

This man is making a brass plate with beautiful decorations. You can see people doing this all around the medina. 

Mummy and I in front of one of the seven heavenly gates to the palace.

That is one big handle.....

This is a camel head, in case you could not tell. They hang the head outside the shop so as to indicate that they have camel meat for sale. yucky.... well at least the eyes are closed, I could not say the same of the goats heads I saw around.

The tannery smelt so terrible, but seeing it was incredible. The men that work here have trouble finding women that will marry them because they always smell so bad from work. The yellow things you see in the corner of the photo are goat skins that have been died bright yellow.

Trying my hand at rug weaving...

Fun with henna! This women drew a design on my hand so fast, although, sadly, I did not leave the henna on my hand long enough, so the final result is very light on my skin. But that is all right, I can not say that hand tattoo's are really my thing anyway, I did it more for the experience and what a fun experience it was!