Kat’s Morocco –Sixth in a continuing series…
MAD or money in hand, I am ready for my immersion into the medina of Fes. What a truly beautiful and amazing place! Everywhere I turn, I see something new and curious and want to spend time really absorbing what I was seeing, from people simply going through the everyday motions of life, to artisans practicing their craft, to the shopkeepers in constant motion welcoming visitors and negotiating prices.
Like many foreign places, Morocco is not for the shy or weak at heart when it comes to haggling for a good price. It can be an intimidating and daunting experience. Short of going to the local wholesale district in Los Angeles and practicing at getting a good deal on fabric or other goods, there is no way to prepare for the experience. On top of that you are dealing in a currency that is very different from the USD in value and can make negotiation for a good deal without insulting the proprietor, quite the challenge. I found my brain working overtime to keep up as I overheard some of what was going on. My time to haggle would come soon enough.
I felt safe and welcomed on our guided walk through the medina. We were approached by little kids, teens and adult street vendors selling their wares like any place where merchandising is a constant way of life. The competition is fierce and some of the vendors can be quite persistent. I could see it caused unease among some of the other passengers but the constant sales pitch was not too intimidating to me. I did have to remind myself that I was in a foreign country and I cannot apply my Western standards or lifestyle expectations on a culture so unlike mine. I need simply to enjoy the people and learn from my experience here.
I spent some time in a brass shop where the craftsmen were making intricately designed brass trays by hand, tapping out the design with a small, thin needle, pin prick at a time. It was a very tedious, time consuming task for an exquisitely designed and detailed piece of artwork. We also visited potters and silversmiths, iron and tinsmiths. Then we got to Dar Nejjarine, the carpet seller and another breathtaking experience!
Before I go into the description of what I saw, I have to spend a minute to talk about the architecture of many of the “houses” in the medina. The outside of the building itself is unremarkable but for a small door that leads in from the street. Upon entering however, it is a different story. The house or dar, is designed with a courtyard space in the center and the two or three levels up have rooms built around the four walls, so that they all look down onto the courtyard area. The courtyard is open all the way to the top floor ceiling and can be open to the sky or closed off with some sort of skylight to protect the area from the elements. The floors are covered in small tiles and the walls are finished in a white plaster like material. Stairways are very steep with high steps so it is more like climbing a ladder than a gradual staircase. In this dar, there was a beautiful stained glass skylight which provided for plenty of light in which to see the hundreds of handmade carpets of various sizes, colors, patterns and qualities hanging from every square inch of wall space. I had only half thought of bringing back a carpet, but this scene clinched it. I would pick up something small and portable so I could easily bring it home with me. I consider myself to be pretty good at resisting temptation when it comes to shopping but admittedly, the Moroccan’s are better at reading the desire on the face of a tourist than I initially gave them credit for!
The whole experience starts with everyone taking a seat at carpet covered benches lining each wall of the room. Everyone is welcomed with a glass of sweet mint tea. I was aware of the custom of offering guests the tea, so was not surprised. It is a wonderful custom! The shop owner starts with an introduction, a description of where we are and what we are looking at. At the conclusion, we are invited to look around at all they have to offer on two floors and throughout several rooms.
I found something that caught my interest but it was far too large – and expensive. I continued to work with the sales assistant but just could not find quite what I was looking for. The assistant spoke reasonable English but since I spoke no French or Arabic, I was having difficulty making myself clear. Our Tour Director (TD) Mohamed came upon us and started talking to the assistant in rapid and very aggressive sounding Arabic. He then asked me what I wanted. Using several carpets, I pointed out one for size, another for color and still another for pattern. They did not have one like I wanted. Whew, I’m off the hook! No matter how you look at it, a quality carpet will be a costly investment and I was only into my first real day here, I was thinking I should wait. It was not to be.
Dar Nejjarine could have a carpet made exactly as I wanted! Mohammed negotiated on my behalf and when we were finished, the custom carpet would cost no more than one there in the show room and shipping to the USA was not an additional charge. I do have to pay up front, but the carpet would be ready and shipped in four or five months. This is when I had to rationalize the purchase to myself that it was exactly what I wanted, I would not have to carry it and a delivery in a few months would be a welcome surprise that would help me to relive these most educational and fun moments. I took the deal and even with a little remorse because of the expense, I have a one of a kind collectable item that will bring back fond memories for a lifetime. With the deal done, I hiked up one more very steep flight of stairs to meet the woman who would write up my order and take my charge card so I could be on my way. (Another traveler’s note, using the charge card will afford the most advantageous exchange rate, especially on large purchases and provides a good record of your purchase.) I was now the very proud owner of my first hand made wool Moroccan carpet! What’s next?
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