The Nejjarine quarter centres on Place Nejjarine, where the sound of saws and chisels competes with the hammers of the brassworkers nearby. The speciality is carved cedarwood: intricate mashrabiya screens, painted boxes, chess sets inlaid with bone and shell, and small decorative panels. The cedar workshops occupy the street-level floors of narrow buildings, often with sawdust drifting into the alley.
Fez cedar carving is a craft with a long pedigree — the great doors of Al-Qarawiyyin and the Bou Inania madrasa were made in these workshops (or their predecessors). The quality of the work on sale varies enormously: the best pieces are proper craft, made slowly by experienced carvers; the tourist-targeted items are machine-assisted and come from workshops outside the medina. Ask to see the workshop before you buy.