Fez

Fez. It's a word that brings back childhood memories of our small town parade. Shriners in little red hats drove tiny vans in circles and figure eights through the street. However, the city of Fez has a much richer tradition. It was founded around 800 A.D. and has served off and on as a capital city. For a word so synonymous with a red felt hat, we saw only one vendor selling a total of four fezes during our entire day walking the Medina.

The Medina is the original, 'old' part of Fez, from the 800s. Its not to be confused with 'new' Fez, which was built in the 1400s. I highly recommend hiring a guide for a tour of the Medina. It's labyrinth of 9600 streets is an enigma for even the most seasoned traveler. We started our walking tour just outside the Medina in the Mellah, or old Jewish Quarter. From there, we wove in and out among shops, homes, and restaurants in streets sometimes not more than shoulder width. The entire area is free of motorized vehicles. Goods are transported via hand cart or small horse. Often, we squeezed against the walls to get out of the way of both.  Whether shopping for dates, artichokes, almonds or fava beans, there is an abundance of fresh food, including shark and sheep brains. There are tanners, copper smiths, spice vendors, rug makers, and weavers. The Medina also boasts one of the oldest universities in the world.

Tannery: the sprig of mint that you're given upon entrance does little to mask the smell. We moved past exquisite leather work to the back windows. Outside, hides are soaking in limestone vats or being dyed manually by men standing in large vats full of colored water.

Coppersmith: need to cook in bulk for your next big party? Here, you can rent a large copper pot to do your cooking.

Spice vendors: Moroccan has that most expensive and exotic of spices, saffron. It also boasts the argot nut. The oil of this nut is used in expensive cosmetics internationally.

Weavers: scarves and djellabis (long robes with hoods) are worn everywhere. Handmade ones are still woven on wooden looms from cotton, wool and vegetable silk (agave fibers).

Rugs: you'll shop three types of rugs here: Arabic, Berber and nomadic. Each is distinctly different. Arabic rugs look most like flying carpets. Berber rugs have distinct symbols or tattoos. Nomadic rugs are made from either 'live' or 'dead' wool, depending on if the animals are shorn when they're alive or dead. No dyes are used in nomadic rugs.

Kaireoune Mosque and University: founded by a woman, Fatima, in the 800s, this continues as a university to this day.