The Medina in Fez

Marty CohenMorocco4 Comments

Faces in the Medina

The Medina of the ancient city of Fez (or Fes) is a labyrinth of tight, narrow, winding cobblestone pathways lined on both sides by artisans and vendors. As I mentioned in a previous post, these pathways or streets are very narrow and we mostly had to walk single file. The stalls were localized by the types of things they made or were selling. There were food areas, some specifically for fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry areas, then artisans working with metal, leather, or fabric and clothing. A fascinating place to visit and one in which you hope you don’t get lost as there are very few street signs.

 

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Entering the MedinaMule in the MedinaChachnouEscargot - BeforeWe walk the narrow pathways of the MedinaMusical Instruments in the MedinaFruit Vendor in the MedinaA Fabric Weaver in the MedinaFabric in the Medina

Tiles

Marty CohenMorocco8 Comments

Tiles

Tiles

This image was taken in the same pottery and tile workshop as the previous posts. When I saw these tiles stacked there, I liked the colors and the way the lighting. I knew it would be a special photograph.

 

PS: I hope you like the new design of the website. It means that, with single images like this one, you won’t have to click on it to enlarge it, although you’ll still want to do that for the galleries of multiple images.

Marty

Creating Mosaic Tiles

Marty CohenMorocco2 Comments

The mosaic tile work done at the pottery and tile shop in Fez is all done by hand, starting with cutting the tiles, then painting, laying them out and attaching them to their final structure (e.g., table top or fountain).

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The Potter

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The Potter

A Moroccan Potter in Fes

While in Fes, we visited a pottery and tile shop that had many artistic staff creating pottery, tiles, mosaic table tops and fountains. It was interesting to see them work and their creations where really beautiful. This potter’s wheel was operated by foot power. Of course, there was a very large store there where we purchased some hand painted plates (and almost a backyard fountain).

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens, 1/50 sec at f/5.6, ISO 2000 captured on a Lexar 400x SDXC UHS-1 memory card

Hands

Marty CohenMorocco4 Comments

(To see the most detail in the images, click on them to enlarge them!)

Hands

The hands and beautiful rings of City Guide in Fes, Mohammed

When we arrived in Fes, our trip leader, Aziz, introduced us to Mohammed who would be our city guide for that day. Mohammed was very knowledgeable and taught us a great deal about the city and culture mostly while we were riding on our bus from one location to another. I noticed how beautiful his rings were and how interesting his hands looked and asked to take this picture.

Contemplation

Mohammed in the square near the Mellah

When we explored the extremely crowded, narrow streets in the Medina, we had to walk single file most of the time. There were limited or no street signs and we were shoulder to shoulder with all the local people walking and shopping there. In addition, we always had to be on the alert for vendors with their cart trying to squeeze through the crowd at full-speed, or a mule loaded with goods being driven through the street. It was a set up for someone or, multiple someones, to get lost or left behind. To prevent this from happening, Mohammed would be at the front of the line of our group and Aziz at the back, always alert for one of us who might stop to look at something and make sure we didn’t get left behind.

(To see the most detail in the images, click on them to enlarge them!)