Facelift helps the old Moroccan city of Fez attract tourists

In recent times, the imperial city of Fez has been neglected by tourists for the benefit of Marrakech, but now, the capital "spiritual" of Morocco is full of visitors due to major renovations and low-cost flights.

"It's an open-air museum, with the largest pedestrian zone in the world and its 10,000 alleys," said Ybadir Jawra, vice president of the Fez Tourism Commission.

Fez "is the spiritual capital of Morocco, renowned for its culture and craftsmanship (secular)," he added.

Since 2013, more than one billion dirhams (92 million euros, 103 million dollars) have been invested in Fez to restore the fortified medina of the ninth century and develop tourism.

The Medina, home to the world's oldest working library, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 for its "Outstanding Universal Value".

A guardian of invaluable treatises in Islamic studies, astronomy and medicine, the library is nestled in the maze of narrow, dark alleys where tourists and carts pulled by donkeys can hardly navigate.

Like many monuments, it was renovated after the authorities of the late 1980s sounded the alarm bell in a report claiming that more than half of the buildings in the medina were collapsing and that 10 % were threatened with ruin after years of neglect and lack of public funds. .

9,000 historic houses, 11 madrbadas, 83 mausoleums, 176 mosques and 1,200 craft workshops are located behind the high crenellated walls that surround the medina.

The patrician palaces with their terraces and secret gardens, their elegant fountains and their old caravans are among the jewels to discover.

Respect the authenticity

According to Fouad Serrhini, director of the Agency for Development and Restoration, charged with rehabilitating the medina, "thousands" of buildings and monuments have been saved from ruin since 2013.

"They were chosen based on their state of degradation and the urgency of the work," he said.

In total, 4,000 buildings were saved between 2013 and 2018, while 27 monuments were restored.

In mid-April, King Mohammed VI went to Fez to inaugurate some buildings that had been renovated and launch the second phase of the rehabilitation program.

Following his visit, the authorities issued a report insisting that the rehabilitation works would respect the "authenticity" and "original architecture" of the medina.

"The ancient medina is a living treasure, hidden and secret, that can not be taken lightly," said Salim Belghazi, 33, who transformed his 14th century riad, or traditional family home , in a private museum.

Belghazi, from a wealthy background, said he hoped that despite the transformation, Fez would maintain his soul.

Old tanneries

Meanwhile, tourists flock to Fez, where the regional airport of Fes-Saiss has expanded to accommodate the growing number of visitors and low-cost flights mainly to Europe.

The number of pbadengers has increased from 108,000 in 2004 to more than one million in 2018, according to official figures.

But Marrakech remains the country 's leading tourist destination, with more than two million arrivals in 2017.

Tourism is a major source of revenue for Morocco, which received more than 12 million visitors in 2018, according to official figures.

Abderahim Belkhayat, head of a regional craftsmen group, said the influx of visitors to Fez "benefits" artisans, noting that three-quarters of Medina residents make their living directly or indirectly in the sector.

Local authorities have developed a "vision" to reorganize the sector by giving it a "new look" to produce "high quality" craft products, he said.

An official report from 2005 indicated that in the long run, the authorities hoped to turn the medina into a "showcase" of crafts, while the workshops themselves would be relocated out of the walls.

Up to now, 6,000 potters and brbad and copper workers have been moved to areas with modern infrastructure and tanners should do the same in a separate place.

The idea is to rid the medina of the cacophony of the sounds of the glbad and pottery workshops, as well as the pungent odors that emerge from the old tanneries – the latter being a "must stop" of the tourist circuit.

Tourists, nose covered with mint leaves to protect themselves from the stench, gather on terraces overlooking the tanneries to take pictures of men working downstairs, using the same methods as their ancestors.

The tanners remain almost knee deep in large vats containing quicklime, cow's urine, salt and water to clean the skins, as they will soak more late in pigeon poop and water before the death process can begin.

The smell is always nauseating.

But the sight seems to delight the visitors and the end result, such as the belts and leather bags sold in the shops, is popular with buyers.