We had arranged through our hosts to have a guide. Khalid Kandy, a well dressed man in his mid-thirties who spoke passable English. We explained what we had seen the previous day and he tailored the day's itinerary accordingly. After walking to Bab Boujloud, the blue gate, we took a taxi to the royal palace in the new town. We were only allowed to photograph some of the gates to the extensive palace grounds - king's orders. A nice open place right next door to ordinary housing (hence the wall).
From there we walked to the Jewish cemetery which was at least 500 years old. Jews had been living in Morocco since before the Arabs, having arrived after the destruction of the second temple and the expulsion by the Romans. The most recent Jewish population came about largely as a result of expulsions from Spain. Most of the population emigrated in the late 60's. The only significant remaining population is in Casablanca, where they are prominent in business. To the Moroccan king's credit, he refused to hand any Jews over to the Vichy French during WW-II. There was an interesting article posted on a wall that recounted the experience of the son of a former resident in tracking down his ancestors. The interesting point for me was that the man was a Canadian and the article was from the Ottawa Gazette.
We next walked to the Mellah, or Jewish Quarter. In a previous time the Muslims decided no longer to live together with the Jews as they had done for centuries past, and instead to banish them to less fertile salty ground outside the medina. The word mellah means salty in Arabic. Nowadays the population is non-jewish as the remaining 100 or so Jewish families in Fes now live in the new town. The prominent feature of the mellah houses was their balcony, as these are not present on Arab houses. The mellah is located right next to the king's palace, where it was felt they were more likely to benefit from the king's protection.
Next we taxied back to the Merenid Tombs and Borj Nord outside the city walls. We could see these from our roof terrace. The view from here over the city and the surrounding country was stunning. Sunshine would have made it superlative. Lots of Europeans were there with their easels capturing their impressions of the scenery on canvas.
For the next few hours we walked about the city without a break. Significant points were the house in which Maimonedes used to live, the Qaraouiyine University and Library, the third oldest in the world, and the Moulay Idriss mausoleum. After lunch in a restaurant chosen by our guide we were shephered yet again into a carpet co-op. Much like the one we had escaped unscathed the day before, it was housed in a beautiful huge three storey house. Unfortunately this time we succumbed again, damn it. Is there any hope for us? We hope it will fit, physically and aesthetically, in our house. After this sobering (I hate spending large amounts on a whim) but enjoyable experience we wandered more alleys.
These were unfrequented by other tourists so it was easier to listen to Khalid. He told us some personal stories that made it abundantly clear that this is still a very superstitious society. They believe in the evil eye, witches, genies (evil spirits), casting spells (the guide was convinced that a former girlfriend had put a spell on him) and healing from a distance.
The final item was a real Riad. Technically it is a large house with courtyard and extensive gardens. This house was huge - ten times the size of the alleged riads we had stayed in. Luckily this one had entered public ownership and was being restored. It was originally built by a vizier, a high-ranking official. The decorations in the main courtyard was superb - as good as any we had seen in madressas and mosques.
Having a guide was definitely a very good idea as we got to see things we otherwise would have had trouble finding. We were out from 9:45 until 16:45 but tour surprise we were not tired. The fact that it was a cooler day (still short-sleeved) was no doubt a factor.
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