Culture Shock in Fez

Arriving on the ferry in Algeciras, the olive and agave fields lined the roads on the way to Fez. Normally fields at home would be empty in the U.S. with the occasional tractor and a few animals. The first thing we noticed was the lack of mechanical machinery as well as all of the herders and farmers tending to their animals and crops. Horses were used to pull plows and they used buckets to carry water to their homes from the wells.

The nights in Fez have been the most strange and amazing experience on the trip so far. Entering the medina(the old town), would have been terrifying without the help of our guide Momo(short for Mohammad). Momo took us around to see a part of the medina he grew up around. The streets are winding and very narrow. There were times where only one person could fit through at a time and would have to duck down to walk through a hallway. The walls on each side were 20 to 30 or more feet tall with just a few doors here and there which I assume we're the entrances to homes. Mules and donkeys carried loads through the streets. Momo explained to us that artisan trades are still very much a way of life in the medina. Your last name is the trait that your family is known for. Momo's family were candlemakers since moving to Morocco generations ago. Electricity had caused his family's business to become a hobby more than a lifestyle.

Throughout the alleys, Momo introduced us to his friends that worked in different trades. We saw the ceramic makers, the rug makers, the coppersmiths, the carpenters, and the apothecary. People lined the streets at all times selling at their booths. There was everything sold in the booths. Butchers had large pieces of cows and pigs hanging from their booths. Stray animals filled the streets begging for food. People walked fast through the markets, even children ran through the markets on their way to and home from school.

Seeing the artisans working in their trades were some of the most fascinating things I have seen. The first place we visited was the ceramic makers. The ceramic makers mix clay with water and then compact it with their feet and hands before spinning them into bowls and other dishes or making them into tiles. The tile workers would take patterns and break the tiles into the correct shapes for each of the patterns. A worker would then take the pieces and arrange them into the right places for the design they wanted. The pottery that was spun was then painted by hand by the workers that specialized in the design. This job would take 5 years to master.

We also visited the tanneries where all leather products were made. As we walked in, the workers handed us fresh mint leaves to help us cover up the smell of the animal hides and dyes. Giant pools of natural dyes filled the yard outside, and the workers would soak the leather in the preferred color before making it into the item they would be sold as. The most expensive color was the yellow dye made from saffron. They had large rooms filled from floor to ceiling filled with their products in every color imaginable.

We also visited the weavers shop. There they showed us how they sewed each of the fabrics. They made everything from bed covers to scarves. The silk they used was made from the agave plant, which they showed us how they harvested as well. After explaining the process, they decided to give us demonstrations on how to tie the scarves into different style turbans. They picked me as the first person to demonstrate the desert turban on. After finishing mine they continued wrapping turbans on the entire group for a group picture. This was one of the most fun experiences in Morocco, because it gave us another view into how the people of Fez and the rest of Morocco live on a daily basis.

It was amazing to see people living an entirely different lifestyle than what we know. One of the greatest lessons I learned was from how Momo interacted with the people in the medina. Whether he knew them or not, Momo treated everyone as if they were a friend. I watched a homeless blind man finding his way be guided through the crowded streets with several people reaching into their pockets to help the only other way they knew how. While the streets were somewhat scary to our group, it seemed like the people who lived in the Medina were very happy with their way of life and accepted all people as equals... a lesson everyone could learn from.