Chouara Tannery

One of the must see places here in Fès is their centuries old tannery. It is said that they have been using the same process as they had centuries ago. The tannery itself is next to impossible to find on your own. The tannery is apparently surrounded by buildings so you won’t be able to see it from the outside. The only way to see it is to go to the roof tops. Of course, practically all the houses here in Fès has roof decks, the question is which one to go to. If you are anywhere near the tannery, chances are there would be someone calling out to you to go see the tannery. Most of these places would have their own roof deck which overlook the tannery itself. I had to try my luck with one of them.

You would inevitably go inside a leather goods shop. These products are made here and are exported around the world under various brands. I didn’t have plans on looking at what they are selling. I was just here for the view. The shop staff brought me to the roof deck which, sure enough, overlooks the tannery. I think I picked the wrong shop to enter since the view of the tannery wasn’t very good here. Still, you can see the artisans working away. It was a weekend and they are supposedly not supposed to be working. There were merely finishing up. The hides made from various animal skins like cow, lamb or even camel are dried and the soaked in large vats with various liquids to get the correct texture. What results is a white piece of leather ready for coloring. The leather is dyed with color. There seem to be numerous colors to choose from. The vats of liquid are large enough to swallow a man and I wondered if people actually slip and fall into the vats. Apparently, it has happened before. It seems it is also possible to go to the work area itself, of course for a fee and probably not on weekends.

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