Bab Boujeloud

Getting Google Maps to work in the ally ways of Fez’s medina is on the same technological level as getting it to guide you to your classes on the first day of high school if your school had thousands of hallways and no right angles. 

Thankfully, Google specializes in technological breakthroughs, and when we found ourselves stranded by our taxi at the medina entrance, it amazingly mapped out the eight minute course to our riad for the night that would have taken us half an hour with lots of angry backtracking to look for on our own.

Fez is a three hour train ride to the northeast of Casablanca, and rivals Marrakesh as a center for culture and tourism.  It’s medina brings you back in time with streets dedicated to butchers, spices, bakeries, leather goods, and clothing shops. 

We turned onto the street where the riad was supposedly located and it was nowhere to be found.  Since using Google had been too good to be true after all, we switched over to the next best navigation system and asked the nearest person if he could point us to where it was.  He told us to follow him down the street and stopped where Google had left us- a large black door with no sign, and rang the doorbell. 

A women opened the door, asked if we were looking for Riad Tizwa, and motioned us inside with our jaws dropped in amazement.  We sat down at one of the tables in the inside courtyard and she explained that the riad doesn’t have a sign outside to keep the traditional riad home style unlike the more modern and hotel-esque riads.  As we sipped the mint tea and sugar-coated peanuts brought out for us she provided sightseeing tips, offered to arrange a tour of the city, and called for someone to bring us to a nearby restaurant for dinner after dark. 

After putting our bags in our room that locked with a medieval-looking lock and key we set out to explore…

The Bab Boujeloud, or the blue door, is the famous entry way to the medina, but was actually built 1,000 years after the rest of the medina in 1913. On postcards a man rides a donkey as he goes under the arch, which is still true today except there’s also a dozen taxis waiting outside for tourists to appear.

The “tourist” menu (top) versus the “Moroccan” menu (bottom). The waiter came up to us with the tourist menu as we walked by but then pulled out the Moroccan menu with 50% lower prices to convince us to come inside. 

Testing out “strawberry tree” fruits in the medina. This should only be done traveling with a healthy amount of Pepto Bismol, but thankfully everyone’s digestive systems made it out unharmed.

Watching the production of argan oil which until recently was only made in Morocco. The oil is squeezed out of argan tree kernels and is used extensively in skin products or sold pure for 7€ per sample. I didn’t ask if you get a discount for helping with the squeezing process, but it might be worth a try.

A nomad herbalist shop advertising spices, plants, argan oil, perfumes, and henna tattoos.

Getting a look behind a bakery counter in the medina to see where the magic happens.  Moroccan bakeries make delicious bread despite what my French roommate says. 

A display case outside a pastry shop filled with honey covered treats.

Stopping for a mint tea break served with just a cube or two of sugar. Sugar is heavily subsidized by the government and is in everything from tea to couscous, although some political parties are moving to bring the price up to world levels.

Terrasse des Tanneurs- one of the largest, smelliest, and most impressive tanneries in Morocco.

A closer look at the tannery dying process. Thankfully everyone made it out without falling in or being dyed.

Traditional Moroccan drummers performing in the medina feat. couscous for sale.

Inside the Bou Inania Medersa courtyard which was built in the 14^th century as one of the colleges of Kairaouine University and is considered to be the most beautiful and historic part of the university. The college is attached to the Kairaouine Mosque, the largest mosque in Morocco before the Hassan II mosque was constructed in Casablanca.

Walking by the butcher shops in the medina really increases the appeal of becoming a vegetarian. We got up close and personal with sheep brains laid out for sale, an assortment of animal heads, and many other animal parts not traditionally showcased in a grocery store.

And now a picture of a perfectly seasoned cow tongue sandwich.

A view over Fez and its medina.

Little is know about the Merenid Tombs (above) and who was buried in them except that they were built in the 14^th century and have a great view over the city.

Looking over the hillside opposite Fez.

Tanneries use the hillside to dry out freshly dyed leather carried up by donkeys. This donkey had a particularly red sheen to him from the dyed goat skins.

Many thanks to this cat for posing nicely for a medina fountain shot.