My very good friend Rads had had enough of sheep, rain and life on a remote Scottish island. Her two year contract with the RSPB was soon coming to an end and she wanted something more cultural, more exciting. So she called me and said: hey, lets go travelling somewhere. 

We looked at a map, checked how much money we had in our accounts and where the cheapest flights were going to. Morocco popped up on our radar and we thought why not, neither of us had ever been there. So we bought ourselves some travel guides and started doing our research, when before we knew it two more friends decided to come along. 

And just like that a few weeks later, in October 2014, the four of us landed at the airport in Fez. 

I had first come across this historical town in the works of the Lebanese author Amin Maalouf. In his book Leo the African, he described the fleeing Moors who had set up home in Fez, bringing with them their skills and culture, forever changing the cityscape. Ever since, I had always wanted to visit the streets of this medieval city. 

We arrived just in time for the Eid al-Adha celebrations. The holiday meant there were no public buses so we hopped into a taxi that brought us to our cheap (bed bug infested) hostel just inside the perimeter of the old town. We settled in and then went out for a walk to catch the last rays of sunshine. 

We passed under the old yellow majestic arch of the Bab Chorfa gate and left the old town, ambling along, and soon found ourselves on a hilltop with stunning views over the old city of Fez. Next to us stood tall ruins from the 14th century, the Marinid tombs. The setting was perfect, and we were joined by locals - families and couples - in watching the golden hour light up the city sprawled below us. Walking back down we passed children celebrating in the streets, playing drums on empty plastic bottles. Goat carcasses were stacked on street corners, another reminder of Eid when families sacrifice a goat to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son. Cats of all colours and sizes ruled the streets and alleys. We watched the sky light up pink then purple from a terrace where we enjoyed our first Tajine dinner, and then retired to our hostel for our first sleep on Moroccan soil. 

Fez is known as the Athens of Africa with very just cause. It once attracted scholars and philosophers, mathematician, artists and craftsmen from around the Islamic world, and was a major hub along the sub-Saharan trade routes. It was a rich place where the arts flourished, particularly in the Mosques and Madrasas that luckily still stand. Yet Fez is mostly known today for its medieval Medina, the world’s largest urban pedestrian area and a labyrinth so intricate that without a guide you risk getting lost inside its winding narrow alleyways. 

This was to be our destination for the day and we were excited to see the abundance of life and chaotic activity that this UNESCO world heritage site is famous for. But we were in for a surprise as we ventured into the Medina. It was very quiet and empty of people. As we penetrated deeper and deeper into the maze, we passed stall after market stall with their doors closed. Of course, it was Eid and most people were celebrating a well earned holiday. As our guide took us down narrow streets covered with a roof through which small rays of daylight filtered through, we felt like we had stepped into an Arabian night’s tale, but with most of the characters missing.

Instead we got to see scenes of daily life that would probably have gone unnoticed when the Medina operates at full tourist capacity. We saw neighbours joyously wishing each other Eid Mubarak in the streets. We passed old friends playing a game of backgammon outdoors, making the most of the rare peace and quiet. We stopped to watch an artisan working on some metal in a workshop that was tucked away. This quieter version of Fez suited us just fine. 

Luckily for us a few famous monuments were still open. One of them was the famous Bou Inania Madrasa, a jewel of Moroccan architecture built in the 1300s. What a beautiful place, especially if you enjoy Islamic art. Every surface your eye rests upon has been moulded into a work of art, from the green and blue tiles arranged in geometrical fashion on the walls, to the intricate carvings featuring verses from the Koran, to the delicately carved wooden ceilings with stars in various patterns. It takes your breath away and hours could be spent here absorbing just how much skill and effort was put into creating this masterpiece. And hardly anyone else was there to disturb our enjoyment of it. 

Fez is also known for its Tannery industry that has been around since the city’s foundation in the 9th century. So famous did it become for its leather that by the Middle Ages, its wares could be found in most major Islamic cities like Baghdad. 

We caught a glimpse of the smaller Sidi Moussa tannery. Only two or three people were at work, cleaning dirty fleeces and stretching hides out to dry. We were told they would be used for drums. The recent Eid sacrifices meant there were many goat carcasses piled high which enhanced the already pungent air around us. Yet it was all so fascinating. We paid a small fee to have a quick walk around.

We spent the next few of days getting to know this city better. The lack of activity and tourists made exploring quite relaxing. Each day we had a different guide. The best we had was an 8 year old boy called Ahmed, a real genius. If any seller that was still open for business tried to rip us off, a torrent of abuse would come out of Ahmed’s mouth and he would promptly escort us elsewhere for a better deal. He bargained our entrance fees to different sites and showed us the best places to eat authentic food. He would take our hand and point out excitedly at cool things to see. He took us down back alleyways at lightning speed. Best of all, he was just 1m tall but he had the confidence of a tiger. 

We did miss out on seeing some of Fez’s most well known landmarks. The famous Chouara tannery, with its numerous circular stone vats for dyeing was closed but we managed to get a good look at it from the balcony of a shop whose owner encouraged us very strongly to buy his leather backpacks and travel bags. Perhaps my biggest regret was missing the Al-Qarawiyyin Madrasa, the oldest university in the World. It’s strong carved wooden doors that had seen thousands of students pass since its creation in 859 were closed to us. We got a peak at it from a nearby rooftop but that was as close as we got. We met a lovely Saudi couple on that rooftop, who were in Fez on their honeymoon and who like us were experiencing a very different city. This gave us lots to talk about and we made up for our disappointment at not seeing the university by spending a very enjoyable moment in their company. 

Fez was the perfect introduction to Morocco, a great place to start our trip. We had a splendid time sipping mint tea in small Riads, eating Tajines on rooftops and marvelling at the stunning art all around us. It’s true that we didn’t get the real Fez experience, but I like to think what we got was even better.