Getting Lost in Fés

Salam S7abi (“My friends” in Darija)!

Planning a day-trip to Fés, Muhammad Abounahr and his sister, Yassmine, let me spend the night at their place to prepare for the early morning. Since I lived around 20 minutes away from the center of the town, walking to the taxi lot alone in the morning was not a safe idea. At 5:00 am, Muhammad, Yassmine, and I woke up for a light breakfast consisting of coffee and bread generously spread with cream cheese and honey. We kept our activities quiet since their mother and their younger brother, Adnan, were still sleeping. After a delicious and satisfying meal, we made our way out the door to the taxi lot near their home. Since the taxis are known to not leave until they are full and with no passengers going to Salé at such time in the morning, we paid 50 dirhams for all six seats in the van for the driver to take us to the train station in Salé. After purchasing three 94-dirham tickets at the train station, we boarded around 6:30 am. Yassmine was surprisingly quite awake, but Muhammad and I dozed off for the entirety of the trip.

We arrived in Fés around 9:30 am, feeling drowsy and hungry. Walking for 20 minutes, we found a cafe and sat down for some refreshments. To be completely honest, we were not very pleased with the cafe’s food — It was not worth the price. However, we were grateful to fill our stomachs a little. We discussed our plans for the day and decided that we would walk northeast to Old Medina, stopping along the way to enjoy anything that may attract our attention. Initiating our trek, our first stop was the Centre Commercial Borj Fés. If my memory holds true, the mall had three floors for the public, filled with many shops and kiosks, including MINISO, LC WAIKIKI, Yves Rocher, and more. Items were sold for quite expensive prices, so we only looked around and did not buy anything. Passing the Alaouites Garden, we saw that the pathways were blocked for construction so we did not get to go through it. However, we did get to witness the large gates to the Royal Palace on the other side of the road, across from the Alaouites Garden. The gates were extremely tall and ornamented with colorful and intricate tiles. In addition, geometry was expansive with rectangles, circles, arches, and more! Due to safety reasons, visitors were of course not permitted to come in.

I started noticing a complex circuit of ramparts and monumental gates. These structures, unlike the gates of the Royal Palace, lacked ornamentation and were built of plain, rammed earth. With some research, I found that these city walls, located in both Fés el-Bali and Fés el-Jdid, were built both to defend against invasions and to control the city. The fortifications underwent an evolution over the centuries with multiple phases of expansion, destruction, and reconstruction. Now, these walls stand tall and significant, embracing and sharing the city’s architecture and heritage. We got to observe quite a few of these, including Bab Al Amer and Bab Semmarine!

The streets started narrowing as we walked through the sou9s. The overhead structure was casting an incredible pattern of light onto the surface of which we walked. We found ourselves at a more hidden area where an open-air restaurant resided. At the entrance was the arch motif again and, with curiosity of the space within, we greeted the man inside tending to the customers. Vegetation was plentiful and it created shade against the warm sunlight. There was outdoor seating as previously mentioned, but there was also indoor seating with a traditional Moroccan design — Low tables, patterned pillows, and sdari, couches consisting of encased cushions sitting on top of wooden bases. The man we met at the entrance led us through a souvenir shop to the backyard garden. Spending some time in the garden, we then climbed some narrow and steep stairs to checked out the terrace where several rooftops can be seen and rugs were laid out in the sun. We thanked the man and made our way out.

Our next encounter was Jnan Sbil, an asymmetrical garden that featured a symmetrical fountain and planter beds. Visitors roamed about, photographing their findings and taking advantage of the cool water from the fountain. Resting for a little bit in the shade from the sun’s blazing rays, we found ourselves wandering through a maze of narrow pathways. Yassmine and I both admired greatly the heavy, wooden doors that served as entries into the homes sitting along the pathways. With a lack of service, our phones proved useless and we sought for directions toward Old Medina. These children who lived in the area grabbed our attention and offered to show us the way. After leading us for a bit, they pointed us forward. I thought it was sweet of such young children to be helping us find our way. But, they then asked us for change in return. To show our appreciation for their kindness, we gave them some change without hesitation. However, they refused our offer and asked us for a greater amount. In all honesty, I thought it was a little ridiculous. We gave some change and headed our way.

Finally, when the pathway started narrowing even more and noise from the activity ahead became louder, we knew we reached our destination — Old Medina. Just like the sou9s, sellers and customers busied each opening. Souvenirs clanked against each other, fresh oranges were squeezed to make juice, and the smell of leather was so strong. With the sun beating our backs along the steep slope of the crowded pathway, we took short breaks at whatever flat platforms we found under the shade. Browsing quite a few shops, we decided to find the Chaouwara Tanneries. The leather tanneries in Fés are said to be the oldest in the world, utilizing skilled workers to complete the process of preparing leather manually in small ditches. When we found it, the strong smell of fresh cut animal skin almost knocked us out. This guy gave us some mint to ward off the smell and led us to the terrace where we could see the leather-making below. Round stone vessels were filled with colored liquid and animal skin were washed and hung to dry. With no more strength to stand up against the strong smell, we stumbled our way down the stairs and back out into one of the busy pathways of Old Medina. Feeling claustrophobic from the tight space, the people, the heat, and the smell, we fought our way through the maze of alleys to try and find our way out. After a long time scrambling around, we finally made it to a place of open air, yet we were still in the walls of Old Medina. Sitting on a stone bench, we finally got to breathe in fresh air only to notice how hungry and, even more, thirsty we were from the extensive trek made. Heading back into the narrow pathways of Old Medina, we found a restaurant hidden in a dark alley. Going in, I was amazed by how much natural lighting there was! An atrium ran all the way up the four floors to the rooftop above that was accessible to customers. The white-and-blue-patterned, floor tiles were worn from activity overtime, the stairs between each floor were steep, and all types of seating were found. After having a meal in a comfortably cushioned seating space where a fan kept us cool, we made our way out of Old Medina. With no energy left, we called for a taxi to take us back to the train station. At 8:30 pm, we boarded the train and knocked out immediately. At last, we made it home by 12:30 am.

Fés was a beautiful city with so much to see! Though it was tiring, we enjoyed our time and learned a few tips for future travels to Fés : Do not trust just anyone for directions. Keep your belongings close to yourself. Wear appropriate, but light clothing. Most of all, cherish the experience!

7tal era jaya (“Until next time” in Darija)!