Travels with BobxLiz: Fabulous Fes, October 27

Our guide today is MoMo (diminutive of Mohammed often used for the youngest son). He shows us an old synagogue and tells us about the Jews in Fes. At one time they lived happily along side the Muslims.

When Israel was established, most of the Jews left Morocco to move there.

The door slides to the side and we see a very old Torah.

It is raining slightly, but there is a break, so we hurry to go see the beautiful bronze doors of the palace.

Then we go into the medina, through some very narrow and dark alleys, ending up in the grocery section.

Someone said these are Irish strawberries. I do not know if that is true. But the fruit below are pomegranates which we are served quite often for dessert, sometimes just the seeds and sometimes the fruit is quartered and you miss pick out the seeds.

A cart of sheepskins goes by. This is the day after the Feast Day when the sheep were slaughtered. We see a pile of sheepskins by the street.

We visit a 14th century school.

On through the market where there is a plentiful supply of dried fruit. If the women market here, they bargain each day anew for their groceries.

Now we visit a 12 th century school.

A typical building has five elements: marble floors, carved cedar ceilings, carved plaster, Arabic writing and tile.

Now we go to a former private very sumptuous home. It is magnificent. We are served mint tea. Then we are shown wonderful Berber carpets and given the opportunity to purchase one...or more. They are very desirable, but we have no room for one.