Our last stop was Fez. What a difference from Egypt. What we saw of Morocco was clean and green. We spent most of our time walking in the Medina, the old city with many small streets and stalls selling everything you would ever need. There are no motorized vehicles allowed in the Medina. There are donkeys that carry huge loads and people walking. It is bustling and busy and has a unique charm to it. The food looked wonderful - tons of fresh olives, fruits, freshly slaughtered meats (not so appetizing), pastries and much, much more. What we also didn't realize is that there is long history of Jewish settlements in Morocco. We visited the Ibn Danan synagogue in the Medina which dates back to the 17th century. It was an impressive and beautiful building that has been restored and named an historical site. The Torah in the ark may have been one of the originals. The synagogue is now used only on special holidays and once a month for Shabbat services. Coming out of the synagogue, whose outside looks like a house, we were taken by surprise as several goats came down the stairs and exited the door of another house. Guess they were heading out for their morning walk.
In the afternoon we went to the Fez tannery. What an incredible place! They must be processing hides the same way they have been for hundreds of years. There were dozens of large vats with various liquids in them. Hides went through a process in the vats of cleaning and then dying. Men were in the vats up to their knees or higher, stomping on the hides or digging the hides out of the vats and then taking them to the surrounding rooftops to dry out. It was an incredible sight! We also briefly visited a government co-op store where they tried to sell us rugs and a weavers shop.
I found a very large and interesting menorah at the shop just inside the gate to the hotel, which is to be shipped home. Hopefully it will arrive soon.
Both Doug and I liked Fez and thought Morocco might be someplace to which we would return in order to see more.
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