Behind the Photo | Sensory Overload in Fez

There is a lot to take in.

- Blue skies for miles.

- Detailed work of Moroccan artisans around every corner of the medina.

- Mint leaves tucked into my face mask to neutralize the intense odor of pigeon poop.

- Pigeon poop.

If you’ve ever driven through Amish farmland in the Lancaster countryside, you’re familiar with the phenomenon of an overwhelming, potentially gag-inducing odor clashing with the beautiful surrounding landscape. In Fez, it is the tannery. Located deep in the labyrinth-like passageways of the Fez Medina, craftsmen are producing beautiful leather goods under a blue sky in a huge vat-filled courtyard, animal hides baking under the steady sun.

So why pigeon poop and why mint?

Mint is ubiquitous in Morocco. The key ingredient in traditional Moroccan tea, which is cherished and offered everywhere.

Less charming is the pigeon poop, a key ingredient in the tanning process. Animal hides (cow, sheep, goat and camel) are submerged in circular vats of a liquid that includes the pigeon’s contribution, and the ammonia softens the hides to ease in dye absorption. This makes for a kaleidoscope of available colors for that leather jacket, ottoman, backpack, sandals, etc. that you never knew you wanted. While the leather goods were beautiful and abundant, I had dropped some serious coin earlier in the day on a handmade Amazigh rug, so I was not on the market for leather goods.

To counteract the pigeon poop aroma, visitors are handed a bunch of mint when they enter the tannery from the winding paths of the medina. While in some ways traveling to Morocco in the age of COVID and needing to wear a mask could be seen as a drag, in this case it was the perfect tool to hold the mint! And visitors have time to arrange the mint comfortably in their masks while climbing several floors of uneven steps. Double win!

Like any objectionable odor you develop an immunity to it over time. But the mint helps while you listen to the fast-talking Ahmad who shows you the wonders of the tannery’s products.

A trip through the medina can feel overwhelming. Uneven pathways of different widths, rather than a Cartesian grid, passages wind this-way-and-that throughout, plus the people. Stalls selling everything from magnets to olives to traditional Arab clothing, and the “independent venders” who trail you relentlessly through the passages hustling to make a sale and offering “democratic pricing.”

Visiting the tannery gives you an opportunity to stand still for a few minutes to observe and reflect on your surroundings. I normally enhance these moments of contemplation with a deep inhale, although not in this case. But I enjoyed the experience just the same.