An entire blog wouldn’t be enough to describe the beauty of Fez, Morocco’s third-largest city, founded in the 8th century and now home to more than a million people. But I’m very patient, and I hope you are too as you read, so day by day we’ll discover together much of what you’ll later see with your own eyes and walk with your own feet.
Anyway, when I think of Fez, the first thing that comes to mind is its tanneries, a symbol of the city and the workshop of one of the oldest crafts still handed down today. Leather tanning, a trade that has all but disappeared in the Western world but is still practiced especially in Marrakech, Fez and Taroudant, is the essential step for making bags, shoes, jackets, belts and many other high-quality handmade genuine leather goods that fill the souks of Morocco and the Arab world in general.
A little gem: did you know that, because leather goods are so closely associated with Morocco, in French they’re called maroquinerie?
A journey (for the nose and the eyes) through Chouara and the tanneries of Fez
At the heart of Fez lies a devotion to tradition, which the whole city loves to show residents, tourists and passersby in the Fez el Bali medina, the largest car-free urban area in the world. The craftsmanship packed into its roughly 9,000 alleys earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1981, and the leather tanners certainly played a big part in that. South of the medina is the tanners’ quarter, where you can watch them at work amid a riot of colors and smells that won’t leave you indifferent.
That’s because most of the tanner’s work takes place inside the tanneries. Fez has four, considered the oldest in the world: two small ones, a medium-sized one, the Sidi Moussa tannery, built in the 11th century, and the largest and most important, the Chouara tannery, recently restored under the reign of Mohammed VI.
And it’s this tannery I’ll tell you about below.
Let’s start with some numbers. Although historians haven’t pinned down an official date, the Chouara (or Chouwara) tannery was probably built around the 9th century, which would make it over 1,200 years old. It covers 4 hectares (about 10 acres) and is divided into four sections, where more than 500 master craftsmen tan hides in 1,200 vats, bringing leather to life in countless colors.
Built near the Oued Fes river, since tanning requires water, the tanneries provide a living for hundreds of Moroccan families, who unfortunately often work in poor hygienic conditions. But thanks to the recent restoration of the Chouara tannery, things have improved a lot, both for the artisans and for the people living nearby, since the smell of the hides isn’t exactly pleasant.
Because of the way animal hides are processed (cow, sheep, camel and goat, the most prized), the air quality suffers. To this day, at the Chouara tannery, tradition calls for hides to be treated the old way: soaked in vats filled with limestone, pigeon droppings, donkey urine, water and salt, beaten by hand and by foot, and finally colored with natural dyes. One of the most precious is saffron, which is why yellow leather is the most expensive and, by tradition, is used to make the iconic babouches, pointed slippers.
Also widely used for dyeing are poppy flowers for red, indigo for blue, henna for orange, cedarwood for brown and mint for green. Pomegranate powder is rubbed onto the hides and olive oil is used to polish them. In short, a palette worthy of the finest painter.
But don’t worry: don’t rule out visiting the tanneries because of the strong, pungent smells, as you’ll be handed a sprig of mint to hold under your nose before the visit begins.
Many leather shops overlook the tanneries from their terraces. Step into one and you’ll get a striking view of the big colored vats. In these honeycomb-like basins, the artisans, all men, climb in to work the hides entirely by hand, without the help of any machinery.
I won’t describe the stages of leatherworking: I’ll leave you the pleasure of discovering them from the people who practice this ancient, fascinating trade, and from the local guides who’ll accompany you on the tour. I’ll just say it’s hard work, so remember that when you haggle (because I strongly doubt you’ll leave one of those shops without giving in and buying something) and… don’t lowball too much. The cities’ ancient craft traditions should never be undervalued; on the contrary, they should always be supported.
Lisa
