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Fez: The Soul of Morocco

Image Copyright Ed Alcock for the New York Times - All Rights Reserved
The New York Times brings us an article and slideshow on Fez in Morocco.

I've visited Fez (or Fes) a few years ago, and was taken by its medieval atmosphere...I refer to Fez el-Bali (or old Fez, since there's a 'new' Fez which was built during the French occupation of Morocco). The medina of Fez consists of more than 9,000 streets and a million residents, constituting a challenge to the best GPS systems. I recall walking up and down the two main arteries; one called Talaat Kebira ("big climb") and Talaat Seghira ("small climb"), which are so narrow that I frequently had to hug the side walls to let donkeys or mules laden with goods pass me by. I watched a traditional procession including a young boy with a broad smile, dressed in a whie suit and perched on a stallion. When I asked what the procession was all about, I was told that the boy was on his way to be circumcised! So this article brings back wonderful memories.

The NYT article also reminded me that Fez is a center of Sufism and that " The nooks of the medina are filled with Sufi sanctuaries known as 'zaouias', where brotherhoods meet, worship and sing. What I didn't know was that the city was built in concentric circles; the smaller one in the center holds the religious places, a larger one holds the souks, then another for the residential areas, then the city walls, then gardens and cemeteries.

I found it very difficult to photograph people in Morocco, and Fez was no exception. It is considered impolite to photograph women in Islamic Morocco, but even men did not relish being photographed. Candid photography is the only option, and in the narrow confines of the Fessian alleys, it's a very difficult proposition. Despite wily street photography techniques, I still got irate tirades.

The Soul of Morocco (Registration may be required by the NYT).