photo-honobono

Before coming to Fez, what I knew was that the old medina was an incredible maze, and that Fez was a city of artisans.

I was really looking forward to finding a beautiful Berber silver ring for myself. 

I headed straight into the souk. It was filled with colorful leather bags, shoes, beautiful scarves, spices and so many crafts. It felt like stepping into the world of Aladdin. So exciting!

My first stop was Seffarine Square, the famous area where copper artisans work. Craftsmen were hammering copper pots, and the whole square echoed with the sound of “clang, clang clang”! It was amazing to see the traditional craftsmanship that is still alive today.

I was wandering around the square, and stopped by an old shop that sold copperware, some other crafts and beads with a history connected to the trans-Saharan trade. Every bead was different in shape and color. I picked just 2 of my favorites. The shopkeeper gave me leather cords, so I can wear them as necklaces.

While I kept shopping at the square, I saw a man wearing a Berber silver ring. I asked him where I could find something similar. He pointed the direction and told me to go right, then left, then right again at the fork…

I followed his directions to find a silver jewelry shop …. well….where am I? 

I kept walking, asked a few more people, then gave up. So I started heading back to my riad AND I spotted a small silver jewelry shop. I even saw the Berber style jewelry I was exactly looking for! 

I had heard that fake silver jewelry is quite common in Morocco, so I walked into the dim little shop with suspicion.

I pointed the first bangle that caught my eye and asked if it’s silver 925 and its price. An elderly shopkeeper weighed it and calculated the price. Then he showed me the traditional way of testing silver. He rubbed the bangle against a black testing stone, dropped a special liquid onto the mark, and explained that this was the old-fashioned way to tell whether silver was genuine.

(This photo was taken at another shop on the next day)

It was over my budget but I fell in love with my bangle at first sight. And I knew this was the place to get it. I lost the way and happened to find this bangle. Maybe it was calling me..!

I left the shop with my new bangle.

Now… how can I go back to my riad?! 

This is the map of Fez’s old Medina. 

There are so many tiny alleys that don’t even appear on Google Maps.