We left Meknes about 8 arrived in Fes at 9 and went to the tourist bureau ended up finding a hotel on our own. Fes is in a beautiful place, nestled in amid the hills with greenery and olive groves. We drove around the city up in the hills to see the panorama. Fes has the largest Medina of all the cities in Morocco and we were cautioned not to go in without a guide. Just inside the gate we were approached by a nice looking man who said he would show us the Kairouyine mosque and Bou Inania Madrasa. We really expected him to take us straight there and back. But soon we were on little side streets and he was showing us how things were made. He also stopped at various shops along the way and let us look.
We went then to the University of Al-Karaouine to see the courtyard and up to see some of the rooms. From the very top of the building in it is possible to see inside the Kairouyine mosque where non Muslims are forbidden. What a beautiful place. The interior has 116 columns. Beautiful carved wood and stucco and the tile that we had seen in the Bahia palace.
We stopped for Maroc tea but our guide didn’t join us since it is Ramadan and they cannot eat between 5:30 am to 6pm. He did come up and chat with us and pour orange water over our heads. He filled his fes about half full and put it on his head. He was really a nice guy and began to chat with us. We found that they still practice polygomy but the poor do only if their first wife doesn’t have children. The rich can have four wives if they can afford it. The Sultan can have as many as he wishes. Our guide informed me that his mother had chosen his wife for him in accord with the old customs but that many of the young were now courting and choosing on their own.
We stopped for Maroc tea but our guide didn’t join us since it is Ramadan and they cannot eat between 5:30 am to 6pm. He did come up and chat with us and pour orange water over our heads. He filled his fes about half full and put it on his head. He was really a nice guy and began to chat with us. We found that they still practice polygomy but the poor do only if their first wife doesn’t have children. The rich can have four wives if they can afford it. The Sultan can have as many as he wishes. Our guide informed me that his mother had chosen his wife for him in accord with the old customs but that many of the young were now courting and choosing on their own.
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