Today was a whole day tour of Fes. This is the oldest of the imperial cities of Morocco and is quite a city. It was founded in 808 AD (or so) by either Moulay Idriss (who founded Morocco's first imperial dynasty) or his son, Idriss II. The medina consists of two older cities, with Fes el-Bali being the oldest.
The walls of the medina encircle an amazing maze of twisting lanes and alleys that weave through the medina. It is often recommended that you take a guide to find your way around, otherwise you will get lost. We have a guide that takes us around, and we go see many interesting places, including:
- The entrance to the Royal Palace, which is just across from the Jewish quarter.
- One of the old fortresses over looking the medina, which was built to protect the city from attack. We got an excellent overview of the whole city and the surroundings. We also take a group picture.
- Upon entering the old city of el-Bali, we went to see one of the old hotels that dates back over a thousand years. It is meant for all the traders who come into town to buy and/or sell goods. The first floor was set up to accommodate the mules or donkeys that the traders brought with them, and the traders would sleep on the second floor.
- We then went to see a bakery, where the people would bring their own dough that they had prepared, and it would be baked in an oven in the bakery.
- After the bakery, we went to the tannery. We had an incredible view over the tannery works, with the many pots where the workers would prepare, cure, dry and dye the skins. The leather would then be used to prepare various handicrafts.
- The next stop was Kairaouine Mosque, built in year 205 of the Moslem calendar by Fatimah, one of Prophet Mohammed's daughters, which is the oldest university in the world.
- We then saw the tomb of Mouley Idriss II, who many say was the founder of Fes.
- We then made the obligatory stop at a couple of carpet shops. We were served lunch and some mint tea and, believe it or not, we bought some carpets (who would have thought we would do something like that).
- A clothing shop was our second to last stop, where many in the group had the opportunity to try on some of the local traditional dress. A few even bought.
- The final stop was a spice shop, where we were shown may spices, perfumes and natural remedies. He had something for eczema, which he said would make it go away for life, so for a few bucks, what the heck. We bought some and will see how it works.