We figured that we’d visit other places when my sister, Nef, came to visit. And so we have. Other than the day trips right around Marrakech, Fes looked like the best adventure. It’s a 6 1/2 hour train ride, and we always prefer trains when they’re an option. It’s such a pleasant way to travel. Given the duration, we went from Wednesday to Saturday, which gave us two uninterrupted days to wander the city.

And we’re so glad we did. Fes is beautiful, and we stayed right in the heart of the Medina in Fes el-Bali. The streets of the souks in Fes are intertwined much as in Marrakech, with the addition of altitude. Marrakech is completely flat, but Fes is noticeably more mountainous, adding an extra element to navigating the Medina.

Marrakech, founded in 1070, seems pretty old, but Fes is almost 300 years older. Fes was founded in 789 as Morocco’s first capital. Weirdly, it feels substantially older than Marrakech. You’d think the extra 300 years would be a rounding error, but they matter. Practically our first response to Fes was, “This place feels older than Marrakech.” Our second response was, “How is that possible?”

There’s definitely something about its siting that contributes. Marrakech sits in a plain, with mountains fairly distant, whereas Fes is definitely part of the mountains. The streets rise and fall, and the mountains are right there. It feels more carved-out-of-the-rock than Marrakech, which contributes to the atavistic feeling.

But the elements most contributing to the way that Fes feels truly ancient are the ruins of the fortifications ringing the city. Originally built in 1069, the system includes walls, citadels, and forts, and they rise up around the walled Medina like a ghostly reminder of our insignificance.

Our Apartment

Like our first apartment in Marrakech, we’d be sharing our Fes Airbnb, so we were able to go a little more over the top than is our norm. It was another very silly apartment, whose ostentatious design flourishes masked the fact that it was barely livable. Which I’ve come to think of as the hallmark of Moroccan interior design.

The Medina

Much like Marrakech, Fes is a city of cats.

Crafts

Fes is a hotbed of both leather and ceramics, with designs and patterns specific to the region.

Here’s a store offering a very Fezzish shoe style, supple leather from the local tanneries over-embroidered by hand. You’ll be unsurprised to learn that I bought a pair.

The ceramics were even more delicious. We gave serious consideration to just losing our shit and having a crate shipped back, but exercised some unexpected restraint. We wound up with four small plates. And it’s still unclear how we’re going to get them back, since our luggage was full getting here.

This was a Jewish store. Owned by a Jewish man, one of only 22 left in Fes, as he told us repeatedly. In addition to the expected antique store stock, he did have a number of pretty old Jewish artifacts. He also told us that the building had historically been a synagogue, which was lent credence by the lavish ceiling you can see in the second picture.

He had lovely things, but he did the thing that so many of Marrakech’s merchants also do, which was treat the bargaining as a blood sport. He started with a ridiculous price and then demanded that we counteroffer. “You give me your price. I like it, I sell it to you. I don’t like it, I smile and we shake hands.” It’s a script, and we’ve heard it a hundred times at this point. And I am so very, very sick of it.

We’ve found quite a few vendors in Marrakech, mostly makers, who either mark prices in their shops or tell you their price, and that’s it. You can buy it or not, but that’s the price. That I can do. The other thing, which is aggressively presented, fundamentally built on information asymmetry, and specifically intended to trick me into overpaying for a product whose value I can’t know… Just no.

I did a poor job getting pictures of the streets of the souk. Our first full day there was Thursday, but I was more interested in soaking it all in than documenting it, which I figured I’d do Friday. Friday is the Muslim sabbath, which isn’t much of a deal in Marrakech. There are noticeably fewer stores open on Friday, but it’s hardly a ghost town. Fes, on the other hand, shuts fucking down on Fridays.

It also rained almost all day Friday, which is not a Marrakech thing. But honestly, I don’t think it was the rain. I think it was all the praying. So, not a lot of prime Medina pictures.

Medersa Bou Inania

LIke Marrakech, Fes has poured its heart and soul into its madersas. The gaudiest example in Fes is the Medersa Bou Inania, built in 1350. So, still a gawky teenager, on the Moroccan calendar.

This is one of those cases where words can’t do the facts justice, so I’m going to let the Madersa speak for itself, testifying to the power of faith and the strength of architecture.

Dar al-Magana

Just outside Medersa Bou Inania is Dar al-Magana, a water clock from the 1300s. In disrepair for generations, there isn’t 100% certainty as to how it operated.

The clock has 12 windows, each with a brass bowl on a platform. Water drained from a reservoir at a measured pace, and every hour a ball dropped into the appropriate brass bowl, ringing the hour.

Here’s someone’s guess as to how it worked, although he claims 24 bowls and I only count 12 supports. But it at least provides a plausible explanation for yet another insane Arabic engineering feat.