As I walked through the narrow alleyways of old Fez, or the medina, it’s like stepping back into time. We passed hundreds of small workshops or stalls that had only one workman. There were hundreds of shops selling olives, vegetables, handmade goods and more. The medina provides everything for living inside the walled city where there are no cars. Each area of the medina is divided again into neighborhoods signaled by smaller arches. And each neighborhood has its own bakery, Koranic school for young children, hamman or public bath for women, fountain for water, and mosque. Our guide told us that the medina does not give up its secrets easily. Behind doors were spectacular examples of medieval architecture dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Between the king’s palace and the medina is the mellah or the Jewish quarter with balconies that are now covered so an observant Muslim woman could not be seen from the street or another house. What was striking was the amount of scaffolding needed to secure sections of the medina that are in danger of collapsing. Although it has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, there is a challenge of restoring and sustaining a 540 acre medieval town where 350,000 people still live and work. Two boys bringing the family bread back from the bakery. It was very common to see the children or wives carrying the dough that had risen to the bakery. Once inside the doors of the medina are tiled courtyards, carved doors and hospitality unique to Morocco. Below are a few photos of the shops and alleyways, including a mule station. The mules are the transportation for getting something in, out or around the medina.
1 Comment
3/16/2014 12:34:41 pm
Fran - thanks for sharing your blog! These are wonderful photos and I cannot wait to share with my students. The medina sounds fascinating. I hope you continue to have a wonderful experience.
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Fran W.
I am a high school English to Speakers of Other Languages teacher. I am passionate about bridging cultures, diversity and teaching and learning in a flattened world. I am inspired by the words of Kwame Anthony Appiah, "The challenge, then, is to take the minds and hearts formed over the long millennia of living in local troops and equip them with ideas and institutions that will allow us to live together as the global tribe we have become." Archives
August 2014
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