Deep in the Fez medina lies one of the city's most startling attractions. The tanneries of the Fez medina, where hides of leather are prepared and dyed, are the most impressive (and indeed photogenic) in Morocco. The acrid smell of animal hides announces your arrival long before you squeeze your way up a tight stairway and onto a terrace that overlooks the working arena. Owners of the shops (that you are obliged to pass through en route to the terrace) will give you a sprig of mint to hold to your nose, a tried and tested way to mask the horrendous odours that eminate from below. Once on the terrace you can watch the workers going about their daily grind of dunking hides in pots of coloured dye. At this point, if it hasn't already dawned on you in your wanderings through the meandering alleyways of the Fez medina, you will be hit by the true impact of what is one of the world's last pockets of medieval Islamic civilistion. Welcome to Fez, UNESCO World Heritage Site, the jewel in Morocco's crown, a staggering labyrinth of passageways (some as little as two feet wide), of dazzling and frenetic souks, and of hidden architectural gems. As in all of Morocco's major cities, the urban area is divided into a French-built new town (ville nouvelle) and an ancient quarter (the medina). In Fez a further subdivision exists within the medina, between Fez El Bali (the oldest part of town and Fez-El Jdid (the former new town, so to speak). Fez is the oldest city in Morocco, and was the first capital of the country. Much of the medina is over a thousand years old, and, walking through the winding streets, one has the feeling that probably not much has changed in the intervening period. In terms of monuments and examples of sublime artistry and architecture, Fez is the most interesting and impressive city in Morocco. The city's Madrassas, or Koranic universities, exhibit fine examples of Islamic architecture, a delicate blend of intricate plasterwork (stucco), carved cedarwood and locally-fired floor tiles, and the Kairaouine Madrassa is one of the oldest universities in the world. If the medieval experience gets just too hectic then a walk up to the beautiful Palais Jamai (or the Sofitel Palais Jamai Hotel as it is now called) is the perfect antidote. Such oases of calm are not uncommon in Fez and the view from this particular hillside, over the beguiling maze of streets and houses is a sight to remember, particularly at sunset when the call to prayer beams out from the city's mosques.
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