The mysterious world of the Fez Medina: Chouara Tannery

 The mysterious world of the Fez Medina

The city of Fez is one of the most beautiful historical cities in Morocco. Founded in the 8th century Fez is the location of numerous historical sites. It’s no wonder that it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in Morocco.  Among its most historical sites, we should especially anticipate one of the world’s oldest and largest open-air marketplaces in the world: the Medina of Fez. Not only is the Medina old, but it’s also succeeded to remain as popular and widely used/visited by locals as ever.

Located in the old district of Fez called Fes el Bali, the Medina, thanks to all the locals’ love for it, managed to remain almost fully intact from any modernization for centuries. Today, it’s a Unesco World Heritage site where salesmen still use donkeys for carrying their goods and where you can smell the air of the ancient Arabic marketing spirit. All in all, it’s a place you have to visit at least once in your lifetime.

Once you enter through the Bab Boujloud or the Debbagh Gate in the ancient Medina of Fez, you will feel that you are transferred back in time to the Medieval World of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

Bab Boujloud Fez

Having a tour of the ancient Medina of Fés is not a single-day program. If you want to know yourself around, you will need at least 2-3 days to spend walking on its circling narrow streets up and down on hills following the footsteps of the locals, always in search of a good deal. The Medina gives place to craftsmen and salesmen selling a wide array of goods: from handwoven textiles to fruits, spices, pottery, meat, and leather goods. These are only a few of the hundreds of types of articles you can buy in Medina. Thousands of housewives and families actively use the Medina for doing their daily shopping sprees.

The Medinat is mostly covered to protect both goods and visitors
from the strong sunlight

In reality, no book or article could perfectly describe the ancient Medina you have to be there to feel its spirit. But, I will attempt to introduce you to some of its aspects through its crafts and its buildings. I’ll do my best to introduce you to some of the ancient Moroccan crafts still actively done in Morocco.  These include leather tanning, pottery, and the making of copperware.

I had the privilege to visit the ancient Medina multiple times, walk its streets, feel its smells, and hear its sounds. These memories eventually made me want to relive this experience through my writing, this time around.

The Chouara Tannery in Fez

If you are looking for the most known photos of the Medina of Fez, you for sure will encounter a lot of photos showing you one of its trademark sites which is the huge tannery of Chourara. The tannery of Chouara is today the second-largest traditional tannery ( the largest located in India) that one can visit. It is a lifetime experience and I suggest you not miss out on it.

However, first and foremost let me also try to write a few words about the art of tannery and the leather industry, which is among the largest handicraft industries in Morocco. Moroccan leather goods are sold all around the world. Raw or tanned Moroccan leather has been widely used by many well-known fashion brands all around the world. Leather is widely used for the production of shoes, belts, bags, handbags, suitcases, and the traditional Moroccan footwear the baboutsh is especially popular not only by tourists but by locals in equal measure.

It’s no wonder that leatherware is among the highest sold Moroccan souvenirs. Premium quality Moroccan leather goods are widely used by interior designers as well. The colorful handmade Moroccan leather seats and puffs are extremely popular by all those who look for a chance to spice up their interiors.

The ancient method of leather tanning

The tanneries of Fez consist of many stone vases filled with a wide variety of various dyes and liquids spread like a stunning palette of watercolors.

While all this appears to be chaotic at first glance, after you learn how it all works, you will moreso understand more that everything has its place and time.

You will spot dozens of men, many standing waist-deep in the dyeing liquid, working in the scorching sun. The tanneries process the leather of cows, sheep, goats, and camels, through various dying and softening methods to transform them into high-quality leather products such as bags, coats, shoes, and shoes. The whole process is done by hand, without using modern machinery, and the process has changed very little since medieval times, making these tanneries fascinating to visit.

The dyeing is the first process for all leather to subdue

At the Chouara tannery, the skins are first soaked in a mixture of cow urine, quicklime, water, and salt. This method helps to break down the toughness of the leather, loosen excess grease and flesh, and to get rid of any hair that has remained on it. The skins have to soak for two to three days to take effect. After this, the tanners manually remove all the excess hair and fat in preparation for the leather for dyeing. Then, the skins would soak in another set of vats containing a mixture of water and pigeon droppings. Pigeon droppings contain ammonia which acts as a softening agent. It allows the leathers to become malleable so they can absorb the dye. The tanner uses his bare feet to knead the hides for up to three hours to achieve the desired suppleness.

After finishing with the above process, it's on to the next work stage: the process of coloring. The hides will be placed in dye pits containing natural vegetable dyes, such as poppy flower (red), indigo (blue), henna (orange), cedarwood (brown), mint ( green), and saffron (yellow). Other materials used for dyeing include pomegranate powder, which is rubbed into the skins to make them looser, and olive oil, which will make them shiny.

Once the leather is dyed, it is left to dry in the sun. Once ready, the finished leather is sold to other artisans, who will use the leather for the making of all the famous leatherware such as slippers, known as babouches, as well as wallets, handbags, coats, jackets, and other leather accessories. Many of these products are making their way into European markets.

it’s important to note, that the Chouara is not the only tannery in Morocco. There are lots of smaller, visually less attractive tanneries which are used for tanning and leather preparation.

How to get there

Almost all the photos of the Fez Medina on the Internet will show the Chouara Tannery as the Nr1  attraction. These can easily lead you to believe that it’s a place that’s easy to find or get to. But on the contrary, if you are not a local, it will be challenging for you to find and visit the tannery. Locals and local guides however know well how to get to it and especially, how to get a good spot to get a good view to see it. As many leather stores are located around the Medina, for a small fee, they will be happy to lead you to their terrace or on the top of their building to give you a good overview of the whole tannery.

Be prepared, however, that the smell is pungent. You will need a handkerchief or something to hold to your nose and mouth. The best times to visit would be either the beginning or towards the end of the day. Do not spend a long time in there, as the smell is also unhealthy to smell for a longer period. Nobody who is not an actual worker is allowed to enter the ground where there are works ongoing. 

The importance of a local guide

When in Morocco, the only way to get a truly authentic travel experience is if you get the help of a local guide. While your hotel can also help you after you arrive, you can also book your guide online. Check out the link below to book your guide. Get your Guide will be for your help when looking for a guide or for a guided tour in Fez.

I hope you liked my article and be ready for the next chapter too.