Local traditions and culture in Wilaya de Fes

As already said - no motordriven traffic in Medina.
In our modern world - the CC company has a perfect well controlled system of full service .
There must be some kind of panic, seeing how their refrigerators are transported within the old city.

From my journal:

'Inside the medina we see a couple of traditional karavanserais, and the guide explains that these were guest houses where caravans would stop on their journeys. The animals would be stabled on the ground floor in and around the central courtyard, and the travellers on the first and second floor.'

From my journal:

'The donkeys would carry anything and everything, from mattresses piled high, to crates of drinks delivery. There is no way you'd get a motorised delivery van into the narrow alleys here in the medina, so I suppose the donkey is the best of of transporting goods.'

Every neighborhood in Fes has a bakery, a mosque and a fountain. Given the narrow labyrinth like passageways that make up the medina, there are few open spaces for kids to stretch their legs and run around. The fountains, as shown here, are about as spacious as it gets. I'd be willing to bet that you can find these kids honing their foot-eye coordination every day at this particular fountain.

In Morocco, prices are mere indicators of what could be the price if you were naive.

In fact, negotiating is part of local customs, and - other than in Europe, e.g. - it's not offensive to give your price for a given good. That's because sellers know they're asking too much and they'll know you know that, if you discuss.

The rule is, don't offer ridiculous values, as they are not joking when negotiating (even if they smile). Offer a little less than what you feel the good is worth for you. Offering too low is an offense, as negotiating is a local custom and tradition, and not just an alternative for a buyer who isn't happy with the price.

So offer half to 1/4 of the price, and then keep rising small bits. Don't forget: you don't have to feel pity, as sellers will only sell you if they can profit from it, so they'll never loose money even if they say so. And more: something -say..a moroccan bracelet - can be worth very much for you and very less for the seller.

So if you offer a small price, it may seem very cheap for you, but still be a good business for him, who has thousands of moroccan bracelets at home.

I got aware of that when I traded old t-shirts of mine with traditional paintings: I was giving away something that wasn't worth much for me, getting something valuable, while the same applied to him.

In Economics, we call it Comparative Advantages. Use them.

Trading is the oldest art on earth, and - don't forget - is in the origin of the first trips and of the first contacts between people.

this market was very big and people fro mall over the rehgion f Fes was there to buy ither vegetables or sheeps. Actually i think sheeps were the most important business in this fair.
this place is not in fes city but a few kilometers after.

Moroccan artisans are famous all around the World. In Fez you may experience all the products at the highest standard, the most interesting experience should be to buy the products in the same shop where they are made, you may even be able to see the artisan finishing the piece you will buy immediately after, or maybe making some specific adaptation upon your own request. Within the medina, there are specific areas in which the artisans working in the same sector unite themselves. The sophisticated art of bargaining is an essential ingredient to any acquisition you want to make: face the challenge! And play with your partner in one of the oldest match of human civilization: the determination of an exchange value!

In the medina, a neighborhood is determined and identified by five elements: the mosque, the public bath (one for men and a different one of women, or, at least, with different hours reserved for each sex), the public oven (where women still bring their bread, after decorating it with familiar signs which will help the identification once they're cooked), the Coranic school... and a fifth one I can't remember by now, sorry! A guide will be able to show you these elements so that you will
appreciate how complex is the organization of life within the medina, although it may seem chaotic at a first sight from an untrained eye.