Tanners

The Riad Jamaï strongly advises you to visit the tanneries of the medina of Fez during your visit to the old town. You will understand the entire process behind the babouches that you will negotiate a few minutes later to keep a souvenir of this imperial city. Above all, you will realize the work carried out every day in these vats under particularly difficult conditions.

In Fez, the tanneries are still active

This is one of the many examples of know-how passed down for thousands of years. The tanneries of the city of Fez are open-air and operate all year round to supply the famous leather of Fez. Several large vats where enduring Fassi men work tirelessly to tread these sheep, camel, and lamb hides. After the various Eid celebrations in Morocco, an impressive number of animal hides dry on the terraces of the medina. All these hides are destined to be treated in one of the 3 tanneries in Fez.

The great tannery of Fez, the Chouara

The most important tannery in Fez is the one known as the Chouara, a fabulous site where time has left no trace on the working tools. These are vats juxtaposed one against another, filled with natural dyes. The tanners of Fez are spread across 3 different sites, but the « Chouara », as it is called in the medina, offers a 360° view of the vats and these courageous men who work to prepare the hides. An official Fez guide will explain to you which dyes are used to obtain the yellow, blue, red, and brown colors. The Riad Jamai is located 10 minutes from this great tannery, and access is quick along the Oued Fès, although a map of the medina of Fez is necessary.

The babouches of Fez, a quality of leather.

Quality, you will hear, is always praised, but sometimes the merchants of talaa (link to talaa) can obtain products at lower prices for more limited budgets. There are several types of babouches in the shopping streets of Fez, the rounded shape like the arch of an Arab door or the pointed toe like the angles of mosaics. Then you will need to choose the sole, whether it is glued or hand-sewn with the thread of Fez weavers (link weavers) and finally either with a pattern or plain.

Bringing back a pair of babouches after your stay in Fez

To choose your pair of babouches, for example, you need to try them on, that’s obvious, but you will surely want to bring some back for your loved ones. To choose, focus on the quality and craftsmanship made in Fez. The Riad Jamai team prefers pointed babouches that are hand-sewn and without a pattern. From this description, all that remains is to choose the color of the leather and the appropriate size. It’s no small task!

A noble product, a signature of the medina

The leather will tend to work in especially for babouches, it will loosen and stretch a bit, you need to have an exact size, afterwards you will find comfort on the instep.

All craft products at their true value

The right price for babouches is whatever you are willing to pay, the Riad Jamaï cannot commit to giving you the right price, as it depends on the choice you make with the merchant. There is a difference between children’s sizes and adults’, between glued and sewn babouches…

Tanners and stalls in the alleyways

Other leather goods you can find in the medina include, for example, leather jackets and very beautiful bags of different sizes. The Riad Jamaï also purchased the majority of the poufs at the Fez guesthouse from tanner shops. In your batch of purchases, you can also benefit from decorated leather wallets, very practical for your dirham banknotes and coins.