Monday, March 21, 2011

back from vacation: fés

han on the train to fes

this picture does not do the view justice! it was a gorgeous panoramic scene of the ancient medina of fes from high up, next to the remains of the merenid tombs
the doors to the king's palace in fes
an ancient fondouk. (history lesson! aka. caravanserai or funduq, basically a hostel for traveling traders. usually three story buildings: traders would sleep upstairs while trading between vendors and their livestock would be on the ground floor.) the place is now a leather co-op. see the man on the scales? a good fondouk had one of these, allowing the traveling vendors to weigh their goods and to make trades with others. 6 chickens for that lamb...looks about right...

see an old fondouk all snazzed up here
another in granada, spain. apparently the only existing fondouk on the iberian peninsula.

stalls and stalls of beautiful thread in the thread souk
the tanneries. you can see men working below in the vats of colors and dyed leather drying on rooftops. 

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