A "medina" is actually a "city". In Morocco and other North African countires, it seems to have evolved to mean "old city". It is NOT what I thought initially - that the "medina" was a marketplace. It is true that the medina has a lot of shops, food stalls, and other "marketplace" fare. But, as I fouund out, it has many other things.
Ali and I visited the Madrasa Bou Inania which is school or university. It is one of the few religious buildings that non-muslims can enter. Ali and I sat while he gave me a brief introduction to Islam and the meaning of numbers.
Click HERE to hear flute concert.
No cars allowed in the medina.
The medina is a maze of narrow passages.
Often crowded with stalls.
I came to an area where a couple of ladies were weaving. It was quite different from anything I had seen before. No shuttle. They were pulling the material by hand. Click
HERE to see a video of the weaving process.
Reputedly, the oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world is the University of Al Quaraouiyine in the Fes medina. In addition to being a university, it is also a mosque. Non-muslims are not permitted in the building. However, I was able to get some pictures through doors, windows and other openings.
We visited a couple of "fondouks". The fondouk used to be like an "inn" or "hotel" with stables below and rooms above. Some of these have been converted to house craft workshops.
Above, left center is the Nejjarine fountain and right cener is the entrane to the Nejjarine Fondouk. I wonder what would be weighed on the scales pictured on the right.
We continued strolling through the medina. Most of the "streets" are narrow pathways through shops and in some cases artisan workshops. The picture above left shows a shop with a lot of copper and brass vessels. Click HERE to see a video of one of the craftsmen at work.
On the right is a picture of the Fes river which runs right through the medina. Below is a Fes "yard" sale.
We went back and picked up Granny for the afternoon tour. This time we visited the Royal Palace and the famous Golden Gates. It might have been interesting and fun to go inside the palace but tourists are not allowed in.
We went on to the Jewish area and visited a graveyard filled with what appeared to be unmarked tombstones. I think the markings may have worn off many years ago. We also visited the synagogue where we were able to look through a hole in the floor to see the mikvah.
Tomorrow we are off to Tangier via Chefchaouen and Tetouan.
Before leaving Fes, Hassan wanted to take us to Sefrou to see the waterfalls. It was a bit of a ride and the last part was a bit sketchy but once we got there it was worth it. Small but pretty falls!
