Chouara Tannery in Fes : Visiting One of the Oldest Tanneries in the World

That can be said as Fez was founded in 789, it is the oldest city in the Arab world in Morocco. In its' labyrinth of narrow alleys, snaking through up and down of how many hillsides, accordingly, nothing have changed till the day it was founded. Not on how the locals live, how things are done from the simple baking of bread & gorgeous handicrafts, how the alleys contain a mixture of locals, tourists, mules carrying leathers among other things.

Searching on what could be done for a short time in Fes while sightseeing, almost every article online have mentioned visiting the Chouara. Not that there's not much to see, there are a lot of tourist spots, though mostly are architectural buildings and houses showcasing Moroccan craftmanships. Inside and outside of the Medina, mosaic walls/floors, woodcrafts of doors/beams, roofs and handicrafts are noticeable. Inside the medina, if not stalls and shops full of handicrafts, artisans live and work where their stores are.

How true that leathers are being soaked with pigeons' feces to soften the material?

How true that is I have no idea! Please read on.

One of the viewing points to the tannery is inside a leather shop. A very narrow concrete stairs can be found leading to a second floor. At first, a guy was giving mint leaves by the door which thankfully was very helpful in covering the leathery smell coming from below. Below were the concrete and separate little holes like basins where leathers were soaked for a few days. Interestingly, that was a story I was told: that the acid of pigeons' feces were used to make the leather softer. How true this is, i had no idea as it was kind of difficult to understand the guy who was explaining both in French and some in English. I did ask where they were collected and learnt that they came from the Atlas mountain, brought to them by the Berbers.

There, it just got fascinating!

Scattered cotton wools being dried under the sun.

Online images abound of colourful images of Chouara. My visit had shown me differently in a way that their leathers at that time were being soaked to soften the leathers. Hence i didn't see the vibrant and different colours I expected to see. Traditionally, to create those beautiful colours, leathers are soaked naturally according to what herbs were used. From its' foundation till now at Chouara, colouring the leathers remain the same...by using different herbs.

I forgot on how long it takes to produce those natural colours that we see today in the shops, although some are coloured chemically elsewhere. In Fes, this is something old that the locals still do and are very proud of. There is also a tannery in Marrakech and even though there is one, don't be surprised if some shops are selling leathercrafts from Fes. I certainly saw one while in there.

Also, try not to be turned-off by the smell as it can be very strong. A technique there is to hold the mint leaves with a handkerchief to cover your nose, that way, it will be difficult for the pungent air to get through. You've been warned!

Getting lost inside the medina.

Some doorways in Fes.

Looking back on how my days were in Fes and counting how many times I got lost in the process, the city is quite different to what I am accustomed to. In places where to get lost is the exciting part, in Fez it was scary. As alleyways are so narrow, there are places that it's dark. Even during the day, some alleys and streets are empty of people. Finding a signage is impossible nor a marker on where one is! I want to say that the locals are very helpful when one is lost but there is a fee, make sure to agree on the price before proceeding. Make sure also that you are taken where you want to go by the door, otherwise the possibility of losing your way again is there. When using a taxi, agree on the price before getting inside. Haggling seems to be a part of everyday life in Fes.

Certainly, visiting the tannery was the highlight of my stay. It's quite fascinating that in today's modern world, preservation of one's culture is quite strong in Morocco. In places where modernisation is what people want to achieve in a way of progress, the locals of Fes hold on to their traditions and are proud and passionate of their craftmanships.

Bought from Fes, this purple bag sure makes my room smell of leather.

Temptations are hard to resist, make sure to be hard-core in resisting when in Morocco. But if there's no resistance, make sure to have space in your luggage. Enjoy!

Images are mine, taken with my Samsung S7.

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