The International Writers Magazine: Morocco

Morocco Bound • Kalie Schumacher-Smith The dictionary defines Morocco as: a kingdom in north-west Africa.  It couldn’t be more right.  Not only is Morocco a country, but also a kingdom of magnificence, uniqueness, and prosperity.  A kingdom that flaunts the pristine beauty of Casablanca, the industrialized capital Rabat, and the ancient charisma of Fes.

My boyfriend, Sergio, and I decided to take a one-week tour to Morocco using the tour company Luxo Tour.  The trip consisted of travelling, by bus, to four of the major cities in Morocco:  Fes, Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat. 

However, for me, no other city of Morocco can compare to that of Fes.  There is an old Moroccan proverb that reads: Among walnuts only the empty one speaks.  This proverb perfectly describes Fes, Morocco.  Fes is the one corner of the world that hides the “old city”, the empty walnut.  It speaks of simpler times, a time that never changed for Fes.

Fes, the former capital of Morocco and the country’s third largest city boasts its old school charm.  The city itself dates back to the year 789 and you can really see how old it is by the buildings and mannerisms of the city’s citizens.

Even though Fes is so old, it does have a “new city” that is modernized and has an effective commercial center.  However, just a 10 minute walk and you are transformed to another world – the Medina of Fes.

The Medina or “old city” is the oldest part of Fes, dating back to the year 800.   It is walled and is designed as a labyrinth or maze which makes it impossible, if you are unfamiliar with it, to find your way out.  No cars are allowed within the Medina, however bikes and donkeys crowd the narrow streets.  The streets are filled with people, market stalls, animals and endless different aromas and sounds.

Street sellers rush up to tourists speaking a mixture of Spanish, English and their native French and Arabic.  The best way to handle the street sellers, which can become very agitating after a while, is to either ignore them or say “la shokran” (‘no, thank you’ in Arabic) very firmly.  Sometimes however, ‘no’ doesn’t work so they will follow you for a while until they realize you will not buy anything. 

The children of the Medina are unique in their own way.  Although they look cute and innocent, the children and their families are very poor.  Tourists don’t expect the children to try and rob them which makes it easier for the children to silently pick pocket tourists.  My boyfriend and I witnessed a young boy sticking his hand in the pocket of another person in our tour.  Once my boyfriend yelled “watch out!” the little boy ran off disappearing into the crowd of people.  Our guide told us that it is very common for tourists to later check their pockets and find their wallets or money missing.  The best thing to do is store everything in a book bag or fanny pack and keep them in front of you.

The market stalls sell everything from spices, food, homemade goods, handmade crafts and fresh meat that is being sliced and cut right in front of you.  It’s such a unique sight to see people carving wood into beautiful figurines, women sculpting potted bowls from clay, old men creating intricate dresses on looms, and live chickens being carried through the streets, soon to turn into lunch.

The markets are good places to purchase cheap things to take back as mementos.  Bargaining is considered necessary and part of the culture.  Most times, when asked the price of a good, the seller at the markets will say a price that is at least 30% higher than what the product is actually worth.  Therefore, bargaining and debating a price with the seller is important.

The Medina’s leather “factory” was one of the most perplexing sights of all.  We watched the leather being made from the top of the leather store and had an aerial view of the process.  When we first entered the building, the man standing in the doorway gave each of us mint leaves.  We all wondered why we were given the mint but it didn’t take long to realize their purpose. 

The moment you step in, you are overcome with a smell so horrible that the mint leaves never depart your nostrils.  A decaying body; an old rotten egg; fifteen wet dogs: all of these combined is the scent that overpowers you as you watch how leather is made in Fes.

Watching the view from on top of the building, your eyes settle on a large square with at least a hundred giant clay circle “bathtubs” protruding from the ground.  The clay “bathtubs” are filled with water, spices, tint and excrement.  Men are covered, up to their chest, in all these ingredients.  The men dip freshly skinned cow hides into the mixture and then hang the hides to dry on a large clay wall.

The special part about this process is that it is all hand-done.  No assembly belts, no machines, nothing to make the job easy.  The men making the leather, which eventually turns into one of a kind hand bags, are working all day in the unbearable sun and stench.  Watching the men do what they do day after day shows just how the old school work ethic of the Medina will never die.

While walking the narrow stone streets of the Medina, our tour was fortunate enough to see a children’s school.  However, what we saw cannot be described as a school but more as a “learning den”.  The door to enter was about four feet tall and crouching was necessary to get inside.  The inside walls and ceiling were made of stone.  The width was about two person’s arm lengths and the ceiling was only about 6 feet tall.

Inside this cramped room, seven small children, both boys and girls, were seated at long wooden desks.  The children had dirt on their faces and were wearing ripped clothing.  Three Moroccan women, all wearing Djellabas – the typical Moroccan robe, were instructing the students in Arabic.

After witnessing this traditional Medina school, it is evident how primeval the culture of the Medina of Fes really is.Inside this cramped room, seven small children, both boys and girls, were seated at long wooden desks.  The children had dirt on their faces and were wearing ripped clothing.  Three Moroccan women, all wearing Djellabas – the typical Moroccan robe –, were instructing the students in Arabic.  After witnessing this traditional Medina school, it is evident how primeval the culture of the Medina of Fes really is.

Donkey’s braying, people begging, the zingy scent of spices, the taste of culture, the touch of the past; in the Medina of Fes your senses become alert.  Your entire being is taken back to a time before skyscrapers, factories billowing smoke, stop lights, and automobiles.  The ancient culture that creates the atmosphere seeps loosely through your pores.  No matter how much modernization happens in Morocco, the Medina of Fes will always be the same.  You however, will feel as a child, one that can never look at the world the same again.
© Kalie Schumacher-Smith, September 2010
kalielyn3 aty gmail.com

More travel