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In Fes we stepped back in time. The medieval medina still operates much as it would have hundreds of years ago. We had a local guide who took us around the crowded narrow streets, visiting various artisans, a Koranic school, and the world's earliest university. We also visited the Jewish graveyard in the Jewish quarter and, since Fes is another imperial city, the palace gates.
In the medina there are no motorised vehicles. People and goods are transported by donkey or hand cart. We were constantly being forced to the sides of the alleyway to make way for these busy conveyances. Chaotic as it seemed to we uninitiated, somehow it works.
They still have public bakeries here where families can take their bread to be cooked. There are also drinking fountains, often with a cup left sitting beside them for the user's convenience. Adding to the medieval feeling of the place was the rubbish lying in the gutters - fish heads, donkey poo, and the occasional dead rat.
In one area of the medina are the tanneries where hides are treated and dyed, ready to be transformed into all manner of leather goods. It is hot, hard work. Men work out in the sun dunking the skins with their hands and feet in murky pools. We were each given a sprig of fresh mint to press to our noses as we approached, to block out the stench. We were then shown an array of leather products for sale - lambs leather jackets, hand bags (including Louis Vuitton knock offs), belts, wallets, Moroccan slippers and more.
Hole in the wall stores stock all the necessities - seafood, vegetables, fruit, bread, meat and sheep heads. There are stray cats and kittens everywhere, scavaging, cat napping, or prowling the rooftops. A current of bodies swirled around us as people forced their way through the streets. Dale and I tried to stay close to each other but were quickly separated by the human tide, and would have to wait for the traffic flow to subside so we could rejoin each other. It was exhausting and probably the most culture shock I have experience so far, but also an interesting insight into the daily lives of many who live here.
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Rich Sounds amazing!