The Chouara tanneries have been operating on the same site since the eleventh century, and they are the iconic image of Fez: a honeycomb of round stone vats filled with dye and lime, worked by men knee-deep in the liquid. The way to see them is from one of the leather shops on the surrounding terraces — the shopkeepers will hand you a sprig of mint to hold under your nose against the smell, and they expect you to look at the bags afterwards. Souq Dabbaghin, north of Al-Qarawiyyin near the river. Best in the morning when the dyers are at work.
Chouara Tannery
Medieval tannery with stone dye vats in operation since the 11th century