Things to do · Fes
The Chouara is the largest and most famous of Fes's medieval tanneries, worked by hand for centuries in the heart of Fes el-Bali. Its honeycomb of round stone vats — white ones for curing, coloured ones for dyeing — is the single most iconic image of the city. You do not walk among the pits; you look down on them from the rooftop terraces of the leather shops that ring the site. This guide covers how to reach a terrace, why you are handed a sprig of mint, how the leather is softened and dyed, what to buy, how to photograph it respectfully, and how to fit the visit into a day in the medina.
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The Chouara is the biggest and best-known of the tanneries that have operated in Fes el-Bali since medieval times. Its dense cluster of round stone vats, set among the surrounding houses and shops, is the picture most people have of Fes, and the centrepiece of any tannery visit.
You do not enter the working area; instead you look down on the vats from the rooftop terraces of the leather shops built around the tannery. A shop will guide you up to its terrace, generally in the hope that you will browse its leather goods on the way back down.
As you reach a terrace you are usually handed a sprig of fresh mint. Held to the nose, it helps counter the powerful smell of the tannery — the natural curing process, which traditionally involves lime and pigeon droppings, is famously pungent, especially in warm weather.
Raw hides are first soaked in the white vats, in a mixture that traditionally includes lime and pigeon droppings. This stage loosens hair and flesh and softens the skin so it can absorb dye. It is the source of much of the tannery's strong smell, and the reason the mint is so welcome.
Once cured, the hides are moved to the coloured vats and dyed using natural sources — traditionally poppy for red, saffron for yellow, indigo for blue, henna for brown and mint for green. The dyed skins are then laid out across the rooftops and nearby surfaces to dry in the sun.
The shops beneath the terraces sell goods made from the tannery's hides — babouche slippers, bags, jackets, belts, poufs and cushion covers. Seeing the dye pits and then the finished pieces in one place is part of the appeal, and there is no obligation to buy.
Mornings are generally the most active time at the vats, and the light falls well across the pits for photographs. The smell is strongest in the heat of the day and in the hottest summer months, so an earlier visit tends to be the more comfortable as well as the more photogenic one.
The tannery is a hard, physical workplace, not a display. The men labouring barelegged among the vats are doing demanding work in harsh conditions. Watch quietly, keep out of the way of anyone working, and ask before photographing individuals close up rather than singling them out unasked.
The view over the coloured vats is one of the most photographed scenes in Morocco, and you can photograph the tannery itself freely from the terrace. A wider shot captures the full honeycomb of pits; for close pictures of the workers, ask first as a courtesy.
Access to a terrace is usually free or by a small tip, and you are not obliged to buy anything. It is courteous, though, to at least glance at the shop's leather, to decline politely rather than abruptly, and to leave a small tip if a member of staff has shown you up and explained the view.
The Chouara sits deep in Fes el-Bali, close to other landmarks such as the Al-Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas and the souks. It is easy to fold a tannery stop into a wider medina walk; a local guide can lead you straight to a terrace through the maze of lanes and explain what you are seeing.
You view the Chouara from the rooftop terraces of the leather shops that surround it, looking down on the stone dye pits rather than walking among them. A shop will guide you up to its terrace, usually in the hope that you will browse its leather goods, though there is no obligation to buy.
The traditional curing process, which involves soaking hides in a lime-and-natural mixture, gives the tannery a very strong smell. On arrival at a terrace you are typically handed a sprig of fresh mint to hold against your nose, which helps mask the odour while you take in the view over the vats.
The hides are first soaked and softened in the white vats, then moved to the coloured vats and dyed using natural sources — traditionally poppy for red, saffron for yellow, indigo for blue, henna for brown and mint for green — before being laid out in the sun to dry.
Mornings are generally the most active at the vats and the light is good for photographs. The smell is also strongest in the heat of the day and in the hottest summer months, so an earlier visit tends to be both more comfortable and more rewarding.
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