A walk through Fes

We found ourselves deep in the heart of the Fes labyrinth with streams of people bustling around us. Each turn brought its own surprises.

Our riad was near the famous Blue Gate where we started our walk through the medina. There are a few designated paths with descriptions throughout the medina, so we picked the red one and started walking.

Our path started through food stalls where cats looked on longingly. We kept walking until we reached the beautiful Bou Inania Madrasa, one of the few places where we could enter as non-Muslims to see the elaborate Moroccan architecture. The courtyard was filled with other tourists and #influencers crafting their quintessential Moroccan photos for their blog. In fairness, we had our own impromptu photoshoot, and I’m sharing some of those photos here.

After leaving, we allowed ourselves to get lost in the medina and stumbled upon a terrace in search of food. While we didn’t find anything to eat, we did realize we were overlooking University of Al Quaraouiyine, known as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. We soaked in the views, but our grumbling bellies forced us to return to lower ground in search of a quiet restaurant for a nice, long lunch.

Fully satisfied by our typically Moroccan lunch of Moroccan salad, tagine, fruit, and mint tea, we ventured back out into the labyrinth. Fes is home to the Chouara tannery where animal hides are made into leather products. Various hides are first soaked in white liquids, which (according to Wiki) are made of cow urine, pigeon feces, quicklime, salt, and water. It’s no wonder stores give you mint to inhale.

We planned to walk straight back to our riad, but along the way an interesting doorway caught our eye. I peaked in to get a better view and was surprised when a man asked me which part of the US I was from (every other person opted to yell the name of an Asian country at me). We stayed and learned about the building’s structure, wove a bit of Arabian carpet, drank mint tea, and almost bought a few rugs to take home. Oftentimes, the unexpected experiences are the most memorable.

Photography by Cybil Zhang