FES: LEATHER ARTS

As the oldest leather tannery in the world, the Leather Souq is quite the visual highlight of Fes. The process of turning animal hides into soft colorful slippers has basically remained unchanged since medieval times. The dye tubs are art in themselves. It was incredible to stand above the brilliant landscape, each tub a different highly saturated hue.

The tannery is composed of numerous stone vessels filled with a vast range of dyes. The workers stand in these honeycombs, immersing the hides into each unique pigment. The tannery then processes the hides of sheep and goats, turning them into high quality leather products such as bags, coats, shoes and slippers.

Upon doing a bit of research, I learned that Fes was historically the depot for the caravan trade from the south and east of the African continent. The artisan leather goods were at the core of that trade (http://www.technologystudent.com/culture1/fez1.htm)