Philip's Journey Through the Medieval Old City of Fes

Our desert tour ended in Fes, so we checked in to the Fes medina that same afternoon, one of the Four Imperial Cities of Morocco. Unlike Marrakech, Fes has retained a very original appearance, with the medina old town full of narrow alleys, which can only be traversed by foot.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, nine thousand narrow alleys, and the feeling of returning to a thousand years ago – these are all labels associated with Fes. The earthen walls isolate the new city from the old. Entering the old town, it's like stepping into a play, with scenes unfolding one after another.

After arriving in Fes, the landmark building is Blue Gate, which is usually used as a gathering point. After entering through Blue Gate, you enter the medina old town, full of nine thousand densely packed alleys, and you might easily get lost if you're not careful. Google is useless here. Besides modern water and electricity facilities, it still retains the appearance of a thousand years ago. If you want to explore Fes properly, it's best to hire a guide to avoid getting lost in this thousand-year-old city.

We chose to stay in the medina old town, with a guesthouse in a lane covered in graffiti, which has a very artistic atmosphere. Unlike other cities, Fes retains the original Moroccan lifestyle, and it's more like a large free market, selling fruits, meat, spices, leather goods, barbershops, and fabric stores, all in one place.

The most amazing thing was that we discovered a bakery! For us, who had been eating Moroccan cuisine for several days, this was a delicious treat, so we eagerly bought one to try, and it was almost like Chinese pastries! It's really touching that Moroccan big buns and Chinese big buns taste the same, and they are very cheap, about 1 RMB.

After checking out of our guesthouse, we found a store selling Western-style wraps and hot dogs with a Moroccan twist, which always has long queues at mealtime, so we joined the queue out of curiosity. Because Fes's shops are very small, we only realized when we were almost at the door that the store was also displaying photos of the Moroccan royal family with the shop owner, and after chatting with him, we learned that this store was quite famous locally and loved by the royal family. The taste is indeed good, so if your friends want to find it, ask locals, or ask about the graffiti lane, and you can find it.

Fes is also a renowned leather manufacturing center. Moroccan leather products, combined with exquisite and mysterious patterns, give leather products a unique Moroccan flair. Here you can buy some handmade wallets and shoes to give as gifts to friends. Of course, you can also visit a leather factory, where the modern leather manufacturers are just like their medieval ancestors, completing their work entirely by hand today without the help of modern machinery. A little knowledge: Fes's leather is soaked in a mixture containing cow dung before processing, so the finished products have a strong smell. This is their traditional manufacturing process, and buying leather goods to bring back is also very unique and special.

At night, Fes seems to have returned to a thousand years ago. In the barbershop, many elderly people are having their heads shaved by apprentices, while fruit merchants are calling out fresh-picked prickly pear fruits, and confectioners are packing different flavors into gift boxes.

Blue Gate looks even more blurred at night, with directional signs in various languages on the walls prompting us to welcome you to the medieval city of a thousand years ago, inviting you to explore this mysterious city.#WakeUpGoodMoment# #HeadlinesStarCampusPlan# @HeadlinesTravel