Jusoor Post explores magical traditional industries of Morocco’s Fez

Morocco is a country rich with different traditional industries and crafts that date back thousands of years. There are artisans in Morocco today using techniques that have been handed down through many generations to produce a wide variety of excellent arts and crafts. The former Moroccan imperial capital of Fez is where many of these industries originated, including leatherwork, woodcarving, pottery, and rugs. Jusoor Post had the chance to visit the old medina (city) of Fez and discover its ancient traditional industries. 

History of Fez 

Established in the ninth century, Fez reached its height during the Marinid era in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when it took Marrakesh's place as the kingdom's capital. The main structures in the medina, including the madrasas (schools), riads (homes structured around an open garden), palaces, mosques, and fountains, date from this time period. Fez continues to serve as the country’s cultural and spiritual hub despite Rabat being the country's new governmental capital since 1912, according to UNESCO. 

University of Al Quaraouiyine- Jussor Post/Nehal Amer

Pottery

Fez is well known for making the best Moroccan pottery. Jusoor Post visited Art D’Argile, a workshop and gallery for pottery and ceramics in Fez. We saw workers using gray clays. When asked about the process, we were told that they leave the clay in water for a couple of days to soften, and then they mold it by hand, using traditional tools and wheels to create different shapes and products. Products manufactured from clay are then frequently fired to a very high temperature, and some can be used in a microwave, oven, or dishwasher.

Beautiful hand paintings of different Arabic and Amazight patterns and calligraphy are used to decorate clay products, which include pots, plates, cups, mugs, and many others. One of the most famous pieces of pottery is the tajine, a special pot used to cook a famous style of traditional Moroccan dish with the same name in which meat and vegetables are braised slowly at low heat, producing a flavorful stew.

Moroccan Tajine- Jusoor Post/Nehal Amer

Mosaic tilework

A type of mosaic tilework called Zellij uses pieces of tile that have been individually hand-chiseled. The pieces are made of various extraordinary color palette and assembled to create a variety of patterns, most notably Islamic geometric motifs like radiating star patterns. It is one of the primary characteristics of building in the western Islamic world and Andalusia.

Ahmed Lahkim of Art D’Argile told Jusoor Post that craftspeople create mosaics using geometric patterns. They use thousands of tiles and combine them like puzzles upside down to create beautiful mosaic designs. After they finish, they flip the work and check it for any mismatches to be corrected. This requires memory skills and a marvelous sense of order and imagination. 

Art D’Argile in Fez- Jusoor Post/Nehal Amer

Leatherwork 

Jusoor Post visited one of the three famous tanneries located in Fez, called Chouara Tannery. It is the biggest and one of the oldest tanneries in the city. 

We walked in one of the leather shops, which has a terrace overlooking Chouara. We were given some mint leaves to smell in order to avoid the smell of the animal skins that are abundant throughout the tannery. When we reached the top, we saw round stone containers everywhere filled with white or colored liquids for softening the skins. 

Cow, sheep, goat, and camel skins are prepared by soaking them initially in the white liquids. This process, which takes two to three days, prepares the skin for easy dye absorption. After that, they are submerged in dyeing solutions that contain natural colorings and then are dried in the sun. 

Chouara Tannery- Jusoor Post/Nehal Amer

leather shop in Fez- Jusoor Post/Nehal Amer