Shopping the Fes souks one artisan quarter at a time

The purchases worth making are those tied to genuine Fassi craft traditions. Babouche slippers in Chouara-tanned goatskin are a sensible start — soft, light and cut a few lanes from where you stand. Hand-hammered copper and brass from the Seffarine quarter — trays, lanterns, teapots — are among the medina's signature pieces; reckon US$20–60 for a medium lantern. Berber rugs and kilims woven in the Middle Atlas villages around Fes have been traded here for centuries; a good flat-weave kilim runs US$80–300 by size and knot density. Argan oil — pressed from the endemic argan tree of the Souss — is worth buying cold-pressed in 100 ml amber bottles from a certified cooperative. For the rest, look to Fassi zellige and blue-and-white pottery, hand-embroidered kaftans, and resist-dyed scarves from the dyers' quarter.

Approach these with caution: mass-produced ceramics imported and painted to look Moroccan, synthetic "leather" with a chemical smell, and "original" Berber jewellery that is really white metal from a factory. The surest defence is to watch something being made before you buy it — in Fes, you usually can.

The medina's trades cluster by quarter along the spine of Talaa Kebira and the lanes below it. Around Chouara and souk Cherratine you find the tanners and leatherworkers, where babouches, belts and bespoke bags are still cut to order. The dyers' souk (souk Sabbighine) is best in the morning, when freshly dyed skeins of wool hang vivid over the lane — as much a photograph as a purchase. Place Seffarine, set about with the steady tap of hammers on metal, is the coppersmiths' and brass-beaters' square. The lanes around the Attarine medersa form the historic spice and perfume market. For Fassi pottery and zellige, the potters' quarter outside Bab Ftouh is where the kilns still fire.

The Fes medina runs on a dual-price system: an opening price for the newcomer and a closing price reached by negotiation. This is not a con — it is a centuries-old social ritual, and taking part respectfully is expected. A few principles we give every guest:

• Start at 40–50% of the first quoted price and work up slowly.
• Never reveal how much you want to spend; let the seller make all the moves first.
• Smile. Bargaining is social, not adversarial. If the atmosphere turns sour, walk away.
• Walking away genuinely — heading for the door — is the most effective negotiating tactic and almost always produces a better offer.
• Once a price is agreed, honour it. Changing your mind after acceptance is considered rude.
• Fixed-price cooperatives exist throughout the medina and are marked as such. These are useful reference points for fair value.

Reputable rug and furniture dealers in the medina hold longstanding relationships with international freight agents. A rolled Berber rug shipped to London or New York typically costs US$150–250 and arrives in two to four weeks. Flat-packed copper trays and zellige panels ship for US$80–150 a box. Always ask for a detailed receipt listing the item, dimensions, material and agreed price, and photograph it. Moroccan customs requires an export declaration for antiques over 100 years old; reputable dealers know the process.

For smaller items, DHL and FedEx offices in the Ville Nouvelle will accept packages at the counter. Postal shipping via La Poste Maroc is cheap but slow, and best kept for non-fragile textiles.

The Chouara tanneries are the beating heart of leather Fes — the place where raw hides are soaked, scraped, dyed in the honeycomb of stone vats and dried on the surrounding rooftops, a craft worked here since the eleventh century. The viewing terraces above are reached through the ringing leather shops, and while it is not a hard sell, buying is optional. The best pieces from these shops are the simple ones: natural tan, burgundy or midnight-navy babouches; undyed goatskin coin purses; and classic satchels without fussy stitching. Steer clear of anything sold as "camel leather" — it is a marketing line; the hide is almost always goat or sheep.

A knowledgeable local guide changes the day entirely. We take our guests off the main artery and into the working quarters — lanes where a master sets zellige tiles by hand, or a weaver in his fifties threads an eight-colour warp across a pit loom. These ateliers sell direct, at fair prices, and you leave understanding what you bought. Our private medina guides follow the plan you agree: tell us the crafts you want to see, or ask for no shops at all, before you set off. See our Fes destination guide for the wider picture, or browse our private tours that include a morning in the souks.