Quiet Fes

Fes is a strange place. It is composed of three cities really, the Ville Nouvelle built by the French, Fes el Djedad (new Fes - established in the 13th C.) and Fes el Bali (old Fes established sometime around 800). The new town is mostly straight lines, New Fes has some straight lines and some big open spaces and a very grand Royal Palace. This is a shot of the front door and for some reason, they are not worried about you taking pictures. Every other time I have tried to take a picture of a Royal Palace, the police get very excited.

Old Fes has not got a single straight line in it at all. The widest street in it is no more than a winding alley and the place is a labyrinth of souks, dead ends and narrow passages. It is very easy to get lost. The rough guide recommends you take a guided tour for an introduction but I said bugger that and had a go. All the street signs are in Arabic but there are some helpful tourist signs in english with arrows pointing you towards the main sights. I have to say that I was a little intimidated by the whole thing. One hour and 6 offers to 'guide' me to the medina later, I was in and wandering. I managed to find most of the bits I wanted to see quite by accident. You could easily spend days wandering the place and still see something new everytime you turn a corner.

It is pretty obvious when you get near the tanneries. (there are 3 I think) The stench is a good clue. The local shopkeepers invite you in to take a view from their rooftop terraces on the chance that you may buy something from the shop. Unfortuately, most of the tannery workers were on holiday as it is still holiday season so this shot is not the normal situation. The stink is something else and I do not envy anyone their job there.

After 6 hours walking around, I decided to cut my stay in Fes short and come back when it is busier. About 2/3rds of the stalls in the souks were closed for the holiday and tomorrow (Friday) it will be even quieter. As an intro to Fes on my own, I am glad that I saw it like this but I want the full monty version next.