0:00
Into the potters' quarter
A short transfer from the medina to Ain Nokbi, where your guide introduces the workshop and the stages of the craft.
Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
Pottery workshop in the Ain Nokbi potters' quarter
Follow Fes pottery from grey clay to a painted bowl in the Ain Nokbi potters' quarter, just outside the medina walls. You watch a painter work the cobalt Fes blue without a stencil, see the kilns, then sit at the wheel with a potter guiding your hands. Allow about 2.5–3.5 hours.
- Private or small-group
- A local guide with you
- Quoted for your dates
What it's like
Fes pottery is known across Morocco for its cobalt blue on white, painted freehand in fine geometric and floral patterns. Most of the large workshops sit together in Ain Nokbi, a potters' district outside the medina walls, where the kilns can smoke without filling the old city. Here the whole craft happens in working ateliers: preparing the grey local clay, throwing on the wheel, firing, glazing and painting.
On this workshop you follow a piece from lump of clay to finished bowl, watch a painter work without a stencil, and then sit at the wheel yourself with a potter guiding your hands. It is messy, absorbing and a good counterweight to a day of sightseeing.
Best for: Families with children who like getting their hands dirty; Makers and ceramic enthusiasts; A hands-on half-day between medina walks.
- How long
- About 2.5–3.5 hours
- Where
- The Ain Nokbi potters' quarter, just outside the Fes medina walls
- How active
- Gentle, little walking
- Families
- Children welcome
How it runs
A typical running order. Timings shift with your group, the season and the day of the week.
0:15
Preparing the clay
See how the clay is soaked, cleaned and kneaded to remove grit and air before it can be worked.
0:35
The master at the wheel
Watch a potter centre the clay and raise a bowl, plate or tagine in a few practised minutes.
1:00
Kilns, glaze and painting
See the kilns, traditionally fired with wood and olive pits, and painters adding the Fes blue by eye.
1:30
Your turn at the wheel
Throw your own small bowl with a potter beside you. Most first attempts collapse at least once, which is half the fun.
2:30
Painting and showroom
Try a brush on a bisque-fired piece, then browse the finished work with no obligation to buy.
Up close
Fes blue
The cobalt blue that is the signature of Fes ceramics, traditionally painted on a white glaze.
Two firings
Pieces are fired once to harden the clay, then glazed, painted and fired again to fix the colour.
The kick wheel
Many potters still use a foot-driven wheel, controlling speed with the rhythm of the kick.
Private or small-group
Private
Your party with a guide and a potter, with as much wheel time as you like. Pairs naturally with the zellige workshop in the same quarter.
Small-group
A guided visit with a few other travellers and a shorter turn at the wheel for each guest.
Practical notes
Wear clothes you don't mind getting clay on; aprons are usually available. Your own wheel-thrown piece usually cannot be fired and dried in time to take home on the same day, so plan on it as an experience, not a souvenir, unless you are staying several days.
Good to know
Ain Nokbi is outside the walls; we arrange the short drive. Large pieces can usually be packed and shipped by the workshop. There is no obligation to buy anything.
Before you knock
The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.
Where is the pottery quarter in Fes?
Most of the large workshops are in Ain Nokbi, a potters' district just outside the medina walls. The kilns were placed there to keep smoke out of the old city.
Can I try the potter's wheel?
Yes. After watching the master potter, you throw your own small piece with a potter guiding you.
Can I take my pot home?
A freshly thrown piece needs to dry and be fired, which takes days. If you are staying long enough we can ask the workshop to finish it; otherwise most guests buy a finished piece instead.
Pair it with
Zellige mosaic workshopWatch master cutters chip glazed tiles into geometric pieces by hand, then try the hammer yourself and set a small mosaic of your own.See how it runs
Calligraphy workshopCut a reed pen, mix the ink and learn to write your name in Maghrebi script, then see the great Kufic inscriptions of the Fes madrasas with new eyes.See how it runs
Weaving & Fassi stitchSit at a loom with a weaver, then learn the terz fassi, the double-sided Fes embroidery stitched so the back looks the same as the front.See how it runsRead before you go: Fes artisans and crafts, Fes artisan workshops tour.
Send your dates. We'll fit this into your Fes days.
- Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
- A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
- You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.