The Heights of Fes

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We are now in a luxury riad, but still paying 50 euros/night....the staff here is wonderful: much laughter and helpfulness! We spent time on the roof terrace today, then in a rooftop restaurant, and then hiked up to the ruins of the tombs on a hill outside the walls.

In between, we walked through the Medina again and visited the largest merdersa, which is one of the few places in the country where non-Muslims can enter a building that is still used for prayer.

After our hike up the hill, I returned alone to the Medina, strolling down one of the main passageways, and wandering off into some of smaller side streets and squares. I ended up at the henna square, which we had visited yesterday. It was once the site of the first psychiatric hospital in the world, built 800 years ago. I bought a butter dish and chatted with the men who had sold me some amber (the solid perfume) yesterday. One of the shop keepers explained that when one comes back, one does not buy, but is given a gift. He gave me some of the fine mud used for shampoo and two clay "pumice stones". Gifts and good conversation make for a nice afternoon!

I came home and showered, washing my hair with the mud and using the pumice and some oil soap that is provided by our riad. As close to a hammam experience as I could get without actually going...maybe I'll go in Chefchaoeun?

We splurged a bit tonight since I wanted to eat a pastilla (sweet/savory pie that was once made with pigeon, but now chicken). We went to a restaurant in a home, and the meal was cooked by the wife and mother of the owner. It was good, but my memory of eating one here 37 years ago (made of pigeon, with the small bones still in the meat, and eaten with ones' fingers) was better....

Off by bus to Chefchaoeun in the Rif Mountains tomorrow....hopefully only 4 hours...!

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Photos

In the Merdersa Bou Inania
Beautiful...We were actually alone here for several minutes... a big tour group showed up as we were leaving....

View from our Riad terrace
Tombs

Merdersa Bou Inania
Prayer Hall...no admittance

Merdersa Bou Inania
A more recent medersa, this was built in the 1360s. The Sultan who had it built was notorius for siring 325 sons in ten years and committing particularly atrocious murders. Good deeds were a hope to atone for evil.

Woodwrk detail Merdersa Bou Inania
The wood is cadar and the technique is called lacera or carpentry of knots.

Merdersa Bou Inania tile and stucco
Some of the script on the walls was not Koran, but a list of donors!

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

We loved Morocco, we loved Fes
Great sign. Thanks for sharing.