September 25, 2017
In Chefchaoen we met two Americans who happened to also be traveling to Fes the following day so we split a private car to save some money. Coincidentally we also ended up having reservations at the same riad, Dar Bensouda. Located fairly deep inside the medina, we were quite thankful that the riad sent someone to meet our car and walk us to the front door. Fes is said to have one of the most complex medinas in Morocco and I can tell you first hand that this is definitely the case. We decided to try to wander around ourselves at first which only led to us feeling quite lost. We were told that this is actually the purpose of the medinas so that if foreigners were to invade that they would become lost in the labyrinth of the medina.
We could have done a wandering tour of the medina ourselves, but opted to pay for a guide coordinated by the riad. Again, we were able to share cost with our fellow American travelers, which was nice to have the company and share the cost.
Above are photos of our riad and views from the rooftop.
Below are some shots from our tour around the medina. Many of the buildings we visited had incredible carvings and inscriptions and tile work, very impressive to see in person
A highlight that cannot be missed is the Al-Attarine Madrasa, a scientific school founded in 1323. The architecture here is just incredible.
We were also able to see some crafts being worked on in Fes. Metal and tannery workers creating how they probably did long ago.
It's always a good idea to ask if you can take a photo before doing so. This guy below baking fresh bread wasn't very happy after I snapped this one.
Another architectural building to see is Funduq al-Najjariyyin, translated to "Inn of the carpenters". It is currently a museum housing wooden arts and crafts, but was historically used as an inn for caravans or merchants and traders.
