The Macz: Medinas, souks and country markets

Medinas, markets and souks

Morocco is famous for its Medinas, the maze of streets which form the old part of a city. Within the Medinas there are various market areas or 'souks' each specialising in making and selling a variety of goods. A Medina is a tourist’s delight .....but can also be a trap.

Entering a Medina is like entering a living museum that involves all of your senses. There is so much to see: displays of fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices, eggs, breads, pastries all piled high. A little further and you find scarves, shoes, rugs, pottery, metalwork, leatherwork, wooden wares. Beggars sit or walk among the crowds with their hands outstretched, while bikes, handcarts and laden donkeys weave their way among the crowds and at your feet the many cats slink by, searching their areas for food.

Smells invade your nostrils, especially the wafting odours of the fish market, but also smells of meat cooking, bread making, mint, leather craft, dyeing all mingling with that of rubbish not disposed of.

Overall are the sounds of selling and buying, begging and bartering; the cackle of hens, the rattle of the loom the beating of metal and hammering of timber. The call of 'Balaak, Balaak' means that you quickly step aside to make way for a laden donkey, carrying burdens as it's ancestors have since time immemorial. The calls to prayer override all of the noise but in the Medina nothing stops.

This part is the tourists delight. The tourist trap comes as the stall-owners try to entice you into their stall. It goes like this...

Shop-owner, warmly: ‘Bonjour Monsieur‘. (A lot of French is spoken here)

Me: warmly sociable – I want tourists to have a good reputation: ‘Bonjour’

‘Where are you from?’

Me, pleased that he’s interested to know about me ‘Australia’

Which city?

Me, even more pleased. ‘Brisbane’

Oh Brisbane. My cousin has been to Brisbane. Beautiful city.

You like Morocco? Yes!

‘Come and see my shop – just see – not to buy anything – just look’ – indicating his eyes

I don’t want to buy anything

Of course not. Not buy, just see Moroccan products.

Me, a little grudgingly: OK, what’s in your shop?

See, I have scarves. You like scarves? Which one you like? I sell for a very good price to you. You are my first customer for the day. Your purchase will indicate a lucky day for me, so I give you a very special price’

Me: No thanks, I don’t want a scarf

You don’t like a scarf? Maybe a carpet. Handmade, very good quality. Made by Berber women.

Me, more grudgingly: I cannot carry a carpet – it will weigh too much for my flight

Perhaps you like a small tagine (a pottery item)? No?

As I move towards the door: You have children?

Me: Yes

You can buy something for them from Morocco. Here, I have some spices and some henna. No, perhaps you like a traditional Moroccan garment. Do you like it?

Me – trying to humour him. Yes, it’s really nice

Look – only 200 Dirham. Special price for you. No?

I move further. ‘Alright. Two hundred too much? Tell me how much you want to pay – just tell me a price’.

Eventually, in order both to humour him and to permit a dignified withdrawal I say ‘Twenty Dirham!’

Oh no! You can’t be serious. It takes three women one month to make this gown, and you offer only twenty? Look, you can have it for eighty.

This continues, and I’m pleased that I nominated only twenty Dirham, after all I don’t want the item anyway!

As I finally step away, he then says: Alright, Twenty five Dirham! You can have it for twenty five Dirham! Please, twenty five Dirham!

Me: exasperated and aghast at the process shake my head and make my escape!

Not really sadder, but rather wiser about the ways of the Moroccan world!

He tried hard to sell it, but I wasn't co-operating

Watch where your going......and keep wallets and cameras secure

Carpets and tagines in abundance

Imagine setting up this display each day

The dates and dried fruits are tasty ......so are the fish when they are kept on ice

Pastries often have bees swarming around them, attracted by the sweetness

Baalak, Baalak (donkey laden with skins from the tannery)

Its crowded around here

And for some light entertainment, try snake charming!!

Souks (specialist craft markets)

As part of the tour we visited a number of factories or co-operatives of various crafts. This gave us an insight into the hard work that goes into quality products, but also got a little tedious with the unspoken expectation that we would always buy something.

Leather
Morocco is renowned for its leather which is made into bags, shoes, jackets etc. This traditional process is centuries old, with the leather being dyed by hand in pits coloured with traditional, natural dyes. Its a very smelly, messy but picturesque process - for the rooftop observer ...

We were given sprigs of mint to hold over our nose to counteract the smell

A good day to dye

A small selection of the leather goods available ....and yes, after bargaining for it, I bought a small money purse

Ceramics

The city of Fez is famous for its ceramic work.

The work is painstaking, particularly the way intricate mosaics are formed by hand, with the pattern evolving on the underside. We purchased a tagine and several small bowls which now need to travel safely in our baggage for another six months

The potter's wheel

Hand-painting a bowl

Chipping and fitting mosaics, piece by piece

Metalwork

Morocco has its own supplies of silver and other semi precious metals which are turned into jewellery, teapots, plates etc etc.

These finely detailed doors stand in front of the Kings Palace at Fez

Silversmith at work: we were told that this is the man who crafted the above doors.

Weaving and embroidery

Rugs, blankets, materials are woven on the loom and we certainly saw some beautiful carpets.....luckily they're too heavy to carry. .

Oh no, not more carpets!

Amazing embroidery by Berber women in a co-operative. There are no knots showing, the back is the same as the front and they make up the pattern as they go!

Natural remedies

It got up Anne's nose

Shoulder and neck massage with yew-beaut oils

Hand grinding the nuts for Argan oil

Country markets

Weekly markets are held in the many rural towns. These are noisy, smelly, bustling affairs, geared to the local people and not tourists, but make for equally interesting wandering. Hay and grain are bought and sold, donkeys shoed, fruit and vegies laid out on the ground for sale. Being melon season there are trailer loads of water melons, and rock melons and canteloupes in abundance. Home wares and clothing such as those sold in the 'cheap Chinese' stores fill the aisles, as do second hand goods, tools, bicycle parts etc etc etc. Since people attend these from rural areas further afield they are also a great social occasions.