Fez: beyond the Riad
The Arabic lute player had been playing for almost an hour in the avant-garde hall of Riad Fès, before I realized what he was doing. My parsimony could be due to the barley soup, the quail pie, the leg of lamb and other delicacies that come from the kitchen. I could also blame the degrees of the Gray , a wine as pale as water but that hits hard.
It is possible that it is due to my tiredness after a day in the souk and in the hamman . Whatever the reason, I was half listening as the man with cream djellaba stripped off his mourning . I thought he was just strumming the same strings, immersed in his world. Then I realized that with each riff the tone changed, and his music hypnotized us all evening.
The medina of Fes , like lute music, is something like a smooth, progressive repetition of patterns, a living combination, a new note.
Fez, beyond Riyadh
Fez is still the most virgin and least modernized medina in the Arab world and one of the largest vehicle-free spaces on the planet, although that is changing. 60 years ago the writer Paul Bowles found that many of its inhabitants had never seen a car . That does not mean that there were none in the city, but that they were in the Ville Nouvelle , the new city that rises in the old Fez. These people made it a nod to honor not to cross the bridge to see the changes.
This determination has outlined what Fez is today, converted into one of the last bastions of the medieval era world . In many well-preserved European cities, such as Bruges, the past has become a living commodity that is sold to tourism.
In Fez that antiquity has been maintained thanks to the efforts of its inhabitants; tourists are still a minority. Despite everything, changes are happening (slowly), and it is becoming an increasingly idle place. Do not let yourself be conditioned by its label of ' Imperial city '; Fes is a I sing to history and tradition . Don't feel compelled to visit all the sights just because there are so many. The oldest and most impressive building is the kairaouine mosque , at the foot of the valley, is as capital as it is architecturally and culturally interesting. It dates from the time of the creation of the city, in the 19th and it is the second largest in Morocco. The building forms part of what is said to be one of the oldest universities in the world.
Fez, is a song to history and tradition
But it is only open to muslims , the rest of us mortals must settle for looking through its great doors. Released from my obligations I prepare to do what people have been doing for hundreds of years: walk down the hills to the city center and soak up its vivid past . Over breakfast on the terrace of Riad Laaroussa, a 17th-century space with large rooms and extravagant high ceilings, I gaze at the dimensions of the medina. Beyond the city walls, the green foothills of the High Atlas rise up on both sides of the valley. Beneath me, the patchwork that is the medina expands: the word 'labyrinth', although hackneyed, fits perfectly.
Construction began in 800, but much of what my eyes can see was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, when Fez replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the kingdom . A status that it maintained until 100 years ago, when Rabat adopted the role capital . However, Fez is still the moroccan spiritual center.
Riad Laaroussa, a space from the 17th century
Two streets lead to the great mosque: Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira (big and small slope) . At first they seem the same: both inclined enough to lead me inexorably towards the mosque and the physical and spiritual navel of the city. “ The rule in Fez is to never follow a straight line if there are alternatives ”, illustrates Hamido, our diminutive bespectacled local guide. So we zigzagged through the 9,500 lanes, streets, and avenues. I had the impression of crossing Talaa Kebira several times, but it could have been any other perfectly. Hamido was guiding me down the narrowest avenue in Fez, so narrow that its largest inhabitants cannot walk on it. “ The walls can almost kiss Hamido points out.
Its narrowness is really extraordinary. But the most interesting thing is the fact that their smooth facades confirm: what happens outside is less interesting than what happens inside the houses. Hamido leads me into a fenced-in garden, along a blue-and-white tiled path, past palm trees, pools, and greenery, to Le Jardin des Biehn. Before being 'de Biehn', this little oasis of discreet beauty was 'de Mokri ', the summer palace of one of the most powerful families in the country . A few years ago it was acquired by Michel Biehn, a collector and designer from the south of France. Le Jardin is not only that, but also a relaxed restaurant (Fez Cafe), a shop and a riad of nine rooms with one of the most sumptuous suites I have seen in Morocco . These were the original quarters of Si Tayeb el Mokri, the former Finance Minister and later Pasha of Casablanca, and today embellished with Biehn's collection of looms and antiques.
Le Jardin des Biehn
In contrast, the store exhibits new Fassi creations: from the pieces of Nina M Galbert to the fun leather bags of Alfred Berlin . During my visit, we meet Galbert in the garden and over tea he tells us how a Palestinian from San Francisco decided to settle in Fez. It was, as she said, for that 'true to your identity ’. That same old tune. Today, however, she begins to experience a change of which she is a part, mixing traditional weaving techniques with innovative touches in materials and colors. Looking at her work, Hamido is enthusiastic: “Thank you very much, Nina. We need people like you: who come to show us new things ”.
In the same way that he knows his city in depth, Hamido masters the song and, at 60, is a soloist in a band. I must have seemed hesitant when he suddenly took me by the arm to sing a Jacques Brel tune, Ne me quitte pas, on our way to the space of another of the foreigners who are transforming Fez. Mike Richardson, former maitre'd at The Wolseley and The Ivy in London , he moved to Fez about seven years ago, and his restaurant, Café Clock, is a nice place to spend a couple of hours eating. Serving Moroccan and international recipes , and his camel burger (nothing to envy a veal gourmet) is the signature dish . But if Café Clock stands out for something, it is because of what happens here: the restaurant hosts musical performances, dance classes, talks by artists and writers, cooking classes and 101 entertainment events for both locals and travelers.
Fez and its gastronomy
All of this reflects Richardson's energy and enthusiasm for this land. He just opened the restaurant and yet he still finds time to be in Scorpion House , a house purchased in the town of moulay idriss , 90 minutes from Fes. There are three reasons to drive there; Richardson's house is one of them. The most obvious reason is the Volubilis Ruins . To understand Fez you have to visit the city from which it emerged. Volubilis prospered under the roman law and grew fertile commercializing the wealth of the land, specifically the olives (its old prey remains) . The wonder of Volubilis, like Fez, does not reside in any structure, but in the beauty of its location , one of the most beautiful places in North Africa . Go in the morning, like I did, or in the late afternoon, when the dim light brings ancient stones back to life.
If you come in spring, you will find it carpeted with marigolds and other wildflowers . come on summer and the oleanders will be open yes Whenever you go, spend some time walking through its streets and avenues, sitting in the patios of the houses and fixing the different parts of the city in your mind. For that it is advisable to prepare a picnic or eat in the nearby moulay idriss.
The most obvious reason to visit Fez, is the ruins of Volubilis
In the 8th century, the Moulay (holy man) Idris, a descendant of Muhammad, came to Morocco escaping the vengeance of Harun al-Rashid, the caliph of the Arabian Nights. Idris ruled Volubilis until Haroun's assassins captured him and him. . His son, Idris II, founded Fez, while Idris's body was buried in the town that today bears his name and remains sacred, a nationwide pilgrimage center.
The most surprising thing was that Mike Richardson should have located his home here, at the top of a steep hill in town. Scorpion House was going to be a hotel or a guest house, but it eventually became a restaurant 'by appointment' . Casual, Richardson's playground is filled with quirky items from the region. They also boast about their good cuisine, which is served in a huge portion feast , which includes plenty of salads, kofta made with the town's famous minced meat, vegetable pies, and for dessert, orange and almond tart. The house also has a extraordinary view over the sanctuary of green tiles of the holy man and through the fields to Volubilis , with storks soaring over the valley.
The hall of the Hotel Riad Laaroussa
There was a power outage the night I returned to Fez. It was kind of like going back to the Middle Ages, or so it seemed: many of the shops were shuttered and the streets were empty. It was a perfect time to visit The Ruined Garden. The website describes the restaurant as a cross between a crumbling mercantile house, a dump, a garden, a café, a spice garden and a cooking school.
The reconversion of old dump could be attributed to another Anglo-Saxon: Robert Johnstone, also from The Wolseley and The Ivy. Johnstone's talents as a gardener, designer and cook have helped create a place filled with humor, intelligence and passion . Their café-restaurant has one of the best kitchens in the city : modern tones in the Moroccan culinary tradition.
He smokes his own fish, he serves a tagine of artichokes, chickpeas and saffron that converts the most faithful of carnivores to vegetarianism (at least for one night). In addition to add beets and olive oil to their bloody marys Y salt cheesecake , among other unique touches; all served with charm, no frills. your chicken Volubilis , pungent, sweet and sour; inspired by the Roman writer Apicius; and marinated in celery and parsley seeds, fish sauce, red grape juice and a bit of fresh mint, it deserves the fame of it. The next day I went to the bottom of the hill.
Fez, it's like going back to the Middle Ages
Of course I didn't do it all at once, since Hamido taught me to walk calmly. I stopped at the most important place in the old city: the madrasa Bou Inania , a 14th century school with a beautiful composition of tiles, stones and cedars cut in the shape of flowers, stars and spirals, which seem to express a divine message.
Below, I passed foundouks (caravan parks that serve as open-air shops). One of them had a good view of a tannery, a workshop with pools that look like septic tanks where the tanners give the skin that characteristic softness of leather. Fassi . I found a young man with his father selling honey of all kinds (even Euphorbia). I bought so much that I broke my promise not to carry any leaky items in my luggage. At the end of Tala Kebira, I entered the mosque, and I turned to go back for Tala Seghira.
The hotel Hotel Sarhai with panoramic views of Fez
That night, wanting to see the Ville Nouvelle , I headed to Maison Blanche for dinner, the last lounge to arrive in town: the owners of the Riad Laaroussa, where I was staying, recommended it to me as a place to go when they need a change of scenery . It is a huge modernist space, made of gray and brown stone and concrete, designed by Christophe Pillett , whose work includes boutiques in Harrod's and hotels in St Tropez . Cocktails in the lounge were followed by dinner, with fresh foie gras and sea bass with black rice, created by Parisian Thierry Vaissière. The wine, like a good part of the diners, was Moroccan . The music, a combination of jazz and funk .
I had a great evening, but I felt that surprise that the citizens of Fez were able to experience 60 years ago when, at cross the bridge of the medina, they saw for the first time a car . I believe that one day Fez will dance to a different and modern melody; its old kiosks will become designer boutiques, and some of its heart and soul will disappear. For now, although it seems like an arduous task, Fez is still torn between these two worlds.
* This article is published in the January 80 issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. This number is available in its digital version for iPad in the iTunes AppStore, and in the digital version for PC, Mac, Smartphone and iPad in the Zinio virtual kiosk (on Smartphone devices: Android, PC/Mac, Win8, WebOS, Rims, iPad). Also, you can find us on Google Play Newsstand.
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