A picture of patience in Fes, Morocco
A picture of patience in the medina of Fes, Morocco
During our meanderings in the medina of Fes in Morocco I photographed this very patient animal waiting for his owner. To me it does not look like a horse, and it is certainly too big to be one of the local donkeys which were common. It has to be a mule. It was just standing there patiently, totally ignoring the busy, noisy crowds milling around. It even ignored the patting of one of our tour group (the lady with the red head covering).
It was certainly a lot more docile than some of the local donkeys who tend to be quite lively and belligerent in their attempts to push their way through a crowded street. we had to be constantly alert for them, as well as the local motor bike riders.
Dressing in style in Morocco
Stylish dress shop in Fes, Morocco
I found that the shop shown in today’s photo is something of a mystery to me. The dresses on sale in this shop are not your traditional or typical type of dress worn in Morocco.
So who was the target customer? Was it non-Moslem women? Are these aimed at the younger women trying to break free from traditional Islamic practices? (Our guide told me that this is increasingly an issue facing Morocco, especially in the workplace where traditional male only roles are being challenged by young, independent educated women.) Or perhaps these dresses are for tourists only or maybe also consular or NGO staff working in the area.
Whatever the reason, they certainly are glamorously beautiful.
In a crowded bookshop in Fes, Morocco
A bookshop in Fes, Morocco
I didn’t see many books or bookshops during our meanderings in various cities and towns of Morocco. We probably didn’t go to the right places.
This one in the medina in Fes was a small shop in comparison to most bookshops we have here in Australia. It was, however, rather large when compared to most retail outlets in this part of Morocco. Space in the medina is limited, so the owner of the shop crowded as much material as possible into the available space. It looks like a very efficient use of the shelves he had to store the material. It all looks neat and tidy to me.
As I couldn’t read the language I can’t say with certainty what the books were about, but some of the covers indicated to me that the emphasis was on Islamic materials almost exclusively. It’s probably the equivalent of our church run bookshops here in Australia.
Sights of Fes in Morocco
Toy shop in Fes, Morocco
The streets of Fes in Morocco – like all cities and towns we visited – are a constant delight with the many sounds, colours and aromas we are just not used to here in Australia. It was hard to take it all in, take photos, avoid bumping into the milling crowds everywhere AND keep one eye on our tour guide and the rest of the tour group.
In today’s photos I feature a soft toy shop (above), a dentist’s sign (below) and several street scenes (below).
Dentist sign in Fes, Morocco
In Fes, Morocco
In Fes, Morocco
Shopping in Fes, Morocco
Fish shop in Fes, Morocco
While wandering the streets of Fes during our visit to Morocco I was constantly surprised by the sights: the colours, sounds, smells and the wide variety of items for sale. Near where I took the photo above of fish for sale there were vegetable stalls, a butcher shop, another selling glasses and watches, yet another selling umbrellas and a few steps away one specialising in chickens (see photo below).
I was actually intrigued by the chickens in the photo below. They seemed quite docile and content to just sit on the scales until they were weighed. If you look closely you can see another one trussed up in a plastic bag. I’m not sure if it was still alive or not.
Chickens for sale in Fes, Morocco