Why Not Morocco?: Fez

As Rob has traveled the world, he's been asked many times about his nationality. Though his roots are primarily European, his olive skin and striking silver hair hint at more exotic origins.
For example, several years ago when he visited Jordan, one of his Jordanian colleagues passed him off as a visiting cousin in order to get him a good deal when he was bargaining for some pajamas! My suspicion that he enjoys being "ethnically mysterious" was confirmed when we visited Fez last week. When he tried on a fez (traditional Moroccan hat) and a djellaba (traditional Moroccan robe) the shop owner thought he was Moroccan! He was delighted, and I think he does look pretty authentic!

When we arrived in Fez, Moroccan flags lined the streets, and the police were on just about every corner. This was a clear signal that the king was in town.

The royal palace had an impressive security team.

Unfortunately, we didn't get a glimpse of the king, but that wasn't too surprising. He divides his time between palaces in all of the major cities in Morocco. But I digress...

Founded in 789, Fez is an ancient city, with the largest medina in the country - which incidentally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In some parts of the medina, the passages are so narrow only one person (or donkey) can get through at a time.

Inside the medina is a tannery that dates back to the 11th century. Using the same processes developed anciently, they soften the leather hides (goat, camel, cow, and sheep) with a mixture of water and pigeon droppings (collected by and purchased from locals). Needless to say, visiting the tannery was an odorous experience, but definitely worth it. The softened hides are then colored using natural dyes made from saffron, indigo, poppy flowers, henna, and mint.

Also inside the medina is the University of Al Quaraouiyine, perhaps the oldest university in the world. Scholars here focus on Islamic religious and legal sciences. Part of the university is a huge mosque, which of course we were not allowed to enter. However, we did observe something I've never heard of before related to Islamic worship. The woman in light blue pictured below is petitioning a religious leader seated behind the colorful carpet for some kind of a special blessing. I'm not sure what this practice is called but I'm going to try to do some more research on it.

Fez is also known for Zeillige tilework. We visited a cooperative where they make the tiles and then create beautiful fountains, tables, etc. Everything is done by hand - including cutting/chipping intricately shaped tiles from larger pieces and hand setting them into gorgeous designs. Much of this work is done sitting on the floor. All day. Wow.