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Happy to be in Fes
Even if it was raining.Entering the medina in Fes, it is possible to allow yourself to be transported back hundreds years to the days when this was one of the world's major market places. The spice stalls with multi-coloured spices heaped into mountains, displays of olives, fruit and a wide variety of vegetables, then the meat stalls where sheep are being butchered right there and chickens, tied by one foot, await their turn at the block. There is no doubt about where your food comes from here.
Of course it isn't just food. Berber and Arab rugs, ceramics, leather goods, silk made from agave and the list goes on. In an area where metal workers operate you seem to be able to buy just about anything that can be hammered into a shape, with smiths working in front of you to fashion the metal. The tanning and dyeing area is famous for both the colour and the smell. When we visited there was a major restoration underway. The dyeing vats have all been replaced and were still pristine so we didn't get to see the real-life version of the famous images of multi-coloured dyeing pits, which was a pity. But we also missed most
of the smell, which wasn't. On entry to one part of the tannery area we were each handed a large sprig of mint to deal with the odour but it wasn't really necessary.
There are no vehicles in most of this medina. There are wheels though on the carts pushed by men who shift all materials in the medina, everything that is, that isn't shifted by donkeys and mules that move through the place constantly. Movement through the crowded laneways and passages for these workers is a constant battle. The locals seem normally to be aware and give room to the carriers but some tourists need encouragement. It is probably handy that a lot don't understand Arabic.
The medina in Fes is reputed to be one of the best in the world. Definitely the best in in Morocco but also the easiest in which to become hopelessly lost. Our local guide made navigation through the variety of twists and turns seem rather easy but there is no apparent rhyme or reason to the pattern of the laneways. Those who navigate by recognising particular shops are soon stumped by the many shops, stalls and assorted holes-in-the-wall selling similar stuff,
Village of Armad
in High Atlas Mountains. Where we stayed is across the river from the village. and those who seek landmarks lose them quickly in the constant twisting of the lanes. There is organisation. It is simply not readily apparent to a first time visitor. On the positive side there are, these days, many gateways into the medina. There do seem to be rather fewer gateways out.
One of the features that make searching the medina for the special gift or goodie difficult is that, while most shops have a display, some don't and many seem to keep their best material back in the shop. It is common to see a relatively low-key entrance and find that there is a significant establishment in the back. Judging a place by what you can see isn't necessarily the way to shop here.
Compared to a lot of places, the hard sell is not so common in Morocco generally. You can move through the stores in the medina without being constantly harangued and harassed by enthusiastic sellers. They will call out to attract your attention at times. If you show interest they will certainly respond and do their best to make a sale but not with any aggression. And if you express a desire to buy, or
they judge that you are about to, then you are immediately in the bargaining phase with all that that entails. An interesting time.
In the medina at Fes we were shown how to prepare pastillo. I have to admit that this is a dish that I hadn't encountered previously. There are similar sorts of things in other places. The same concept as a pastie but there the similarity ends. Some of the preparation is similar to that of a murtabak – in Malaysia – but pastillo has some major differences in size, fillings and pastry. Moroccans aren't afraid to use a bit of sugar here and there and it isn't always to my taste but the spices used in the main fillings for pastillo would, I think, work very well without the inclusion of the sugar. We will see. The difficulty for us in putting our knowledge into practice is accessing the pastry. We watched it being made a number of times and perhaps that is a chance. I am a little concerned that the people we watched made it look easy but wherever a large hot plate and sticky, floury substance are involved I suspect there is likely
Something interesting up there
on Boulevarde Hassan II in Fes to be trouble – at least the first few times. And, I am informed, right sort of hot plate is not readily available at home.
We each had to prepare our own pastillo that was then taken away for cooking. The product was good but that had a lot more to do with the skill and patience of the man who demonstrated and assisted than anything that I added.
There is more to Fes than the medina. The new city was easy to move around with large avenues and plenty of trees. The avenue Hassan II apparently modelled on the Champs des Elysees is a particularly scenic street and is able to create a pleasant, quiet environment through a busy area of the city. We stayed in the Hotel Zahrat al Jabal which is well located in easy distance from the medina and close to a large shopping centre. There are good restaurants around the area and a few bars.
The city pays attention to tourists and I think that most would feel pretty comfortable here. They are also likely to leave, as we did, with rugs, leather work, ceramics etc.
From Fes we moved into
Morocco's Highest Mountain
Mount Toubkal (on the left) the High Atlas Mountains. This was a long trip in a small bus culminating in a winding drive up into the mountains. Not so much fun towards the end - especially in the very back seat - but when it did end we were in the mountains with the next phase a climb up to our accommodation which was in the last village before the commencement of the trek up North Africa's highest mountain, Mount Toubkal, which stands at 4167 metres.
It is possible to drive a vehicle up to this village but it is also not a difficult walk. For us the experience was enhanced by the rain as we started out. It let us feel a little like we were real mountaineers, even though we were only walking a relatively short way up the mountain. It was more than a little chilly with the wind blowing off the snow but we warmed up as we moved up and the rain backed off.
Berber culture is strong in the Atlas Mountains. The word 'berber' is believed to come from the same root as 'barbarian' which is how first the Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans and then the Arabs, when
Exemplar Berber turban
This wrap for warmth and/or dust. Tarik showed us how to do the sun style as well - just a matter of practice now to get it looking like this!! they arrived in the area saw the locals. The people's own term is Amazigh, although most seem to use 'Berber' when speaking in English or French. The Berbers arrived in the area, possibly from Asia, in the 3
rd or 2
nd millenium BCE and they are regarded as the indigenous people of Morocco. The Arabs arrived not long after the death of Mohammed.
Berber language is now undergoing a revival, with the original Tifinagh script (possibly derived from Phoenician) being updated into an alphabet and the language taught in schools in Morocco.
We were made very welcome at the house of Tagine (his name may have been Mohammed but everyone called him Tagine). Tagine and his family have been establishing their accommodation business in the village of Armad for some years. He is gradually building more levels and rooms as time and money allow. We were a party of 12 and were easily and well accommodated. The food, mainly tagines – the Berbers are credited with the development of tagine style cooking – was excellent, and the house was warm and comfortable.
And if you ever stay in this establishment – which I would strongly recommend – then,
Mules for trekkers
These carry the gear for the people going up to the summit of Mt Toubkal should you be in need of a shower, I would advise that you have it in the evening. Beautiful warm water in the evening. None in the morning.
In the morning, Tagine's wife (and here we must apologise for not remembering her name) showed us how bread is prepared every day and how it is cooked in the High Atlas Mountains. Moroccans eat a lot of bread. It wasn't uncommon to be fed a couple of different types of bread each meal, and at times more. In the medinas there is always a bakery in each of the districts. Bread that is prepared in each household is brought to the bakery where the bakers take care of the cooking. Remembering who delivered what bread to them must be part of the special skills they develop. In the High Atlas Mountains there aren't community ovens so each family takes care of their own. At Tagine's house an earthen oven was used to great effect.
There were parties of walkers/climbers heading off as we walked around the area the next morning. It takes about 6 hours, if I recall correctly, to make it to the hut or staging point. Walkers
then start early to make it to the summit for the sunrise. There is apparently some work involved in the climb and you need crampons and such when the snow is heavy. Some of it is a challenge but it is apparently doable by people with reasonable fitness. We didn't attempt it on this trip but it would be good to do and perhaps not so far beyond an old bloke to have a go one day not too far away.
This time we had a good, invigorating walk across the watercourse that flows off the mountain and along the valley; then visited a school to meet some bright and shiny little-uns, including Tagine's eldest daughter; and had the opportunity to try to work out how the complex irrigation system works. There is a diversion from the river quite some distance up-stream that flows through an intricate series of channels – no pumps, all gravity – to feed an impressive number of small fields and terraces over a distance down the river of 3 or 4 kilometres. The remaining water is eventually returned to the river.
From Armad it was a different path back down the mountain to
Business goes on
Our time in Fes was marked by rain and quite cool temperatures. However, there was no shortage of umbrella sellers for those in need of rain protection pick up our luggage and then into a bus to head for Essaouira on the coast. Back to the warm at least.
Fes was a great place to visit and we could well be back. The Atlas Mountains were calmer, more spectacular and serene. We will be back – if at all possible - as there is a lot more to do here.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
In love with Morocco
We loved every minute of Morocco and your stories transported us back to haggling at the market. Excellent! The foods, the aromas, the people...ah and the jewelry. I believe we came home with a couple of pieces. You look happy.