[Dec. 2025] After a thorough sightseeing tour of Fez, Morocco, we took a stroll through the medina surrounding our riad that evening.
Ideally, we wanted to descend the hill and return to the more traditional souk, including the leather goods district we’d visited earlier in the day, but we decided against it, opting instead for a walk through the newer souk, which was originally a residential area.
First, we headed towards the Blue Gate, which our guide had recommended earlier that day.
This gate’s proper name is apparently Bab Bou Jeloud and is considered the main entrance to the old city.
From the outside, it’s blue, and the inside is green.
It looks like ancient Islamic architecture, but it was actually built in 1913, when Morocco was a French protectorate.
Originally, there was a simple gate from around the 12th century, and this symbolic gate was built to replace it.
We ventured out into the new city, where a chaotic landscape, a different kind of chaos from the medina, unfolded before us.
It wasn’t very appealing, so we soon returned to the medina.
We wandered aimlessly, occasionally doing some souvenir shopping.
Along the way, we passed through a colourful alleyway that seemed to be filled with the works of local artists.
This kind of atmosphere is quite stylish, and while it could be found in any town in the world, it’s certainly photogenic.
For souvenirs, we bought a wallet for 50 dirhams (approximately 4.60 euros), slippers for 100 dirhams a pair, and a plate for home for 170 dirhams.
When buying the plate, I was holding the one I initially chose, but my eyes drifted to another, more colourful one.
The shopkeeper insisted, “No, this one is the more traditional plate,” so I stuck to my original choice.
But why did he want to sell this one instead of the other one?
I wonder what the hidden meaning was.
Finally, we stopped into a small cafe for mint tea and biscuits.
The food was typical Moroccan cuisine, but the cafe itself was stylish and had an atmosphere that wouldn’t be out of place in any town.
It seemed to be run by young people.
As I mentioned before, Morocco was hosting the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament at this time, and it seemed there was a match against Tunisia that day, as there were many people waving Tunisian flags and making a fuss.
