FES-Taning leather, making bags

Visited Fes a few weeks back with two of my artisans I will be working with.  The current PCV was introducing us to the purse making process that he had set up for both coops.  Fes was located in the hills and is very temperate.  Nice temperature change form the cold in Midelt.  We went to a market area in the old town wall called Bab Boujloud.

The area is filled with shops of all kinds.  The alleys are only big enough for pedestrians and these little motorbikes with wagons on the back.  It looks like the area has been worked in for hundreds of years.  There are restaurants and riad hotels spaced throughout the area.  Some of the lobbies were very intriguing.  We were headed to Hassan's shop.  He coordinated the samples of the leather and cloth being assembled in the bags.  There were some changes from the last order and we looked at these new samples.  We went to the leather shop next and saw where the leather was cut and sewn.

The seamstresses worked in tight conditions.  Shoes were also made in the shop.  They were producing mass quantities of purses and styles when we were there.  An interesting process to watch.

Next it was off to the leather tanning shop.  The owners will take you up to the roof to look down at the process.  I was told that the dyers are born into the work.  If your father was working there you take his place.  They work in knee deep dye vats mixing the color with the leather.  The colored pelts are laid on straw in the sun to dry.  We were there in the cool winter.  I would hate to see the condition in the hot summer sun.  I would think the smell would be tough on the tourists.  I guess if your legs were dyed red you would not need to buy pants. 

There are three different hides used, goat, beef and sheep.  Beef hide is the thickest and most expensive.  The sheep hide is the cheapest.  The goat hide is the most economical for the quality as it is really strong.

The day was interesting and educational.  Would like to return to the Bab Boujloud again and explore.



On the way home we stopped at a restaurant where they made their own bread in a stone kiln.  The dough was made and thrown into the fire to spread over hot rocks.  The bread was delicious.  You needed to knock the rocks off first though.  Careful for your teeth. There are stones in some of the products here and it is easy to break a tooth if you are not careful.