Fez is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. There is, therefore, no shortage of historical sites in this great dynamic city. And we're not just talking about mosques or palaces. The Chouara tanneries are also a historical place not to be missed. Consider renting a car to get to the center of Fez, where the Chouara tanneries are located.
Leatherwork is one of the specialties of Morocco. The kingdom, therefore, has many tanneries where ancestral know-how is used. The most famous of these traditional Moroccan tanneries are located in the heart of the city of Fez. These are the Chouara tanneries.
A thousand-year-old place
In the center of the medina (the ancient town also called Fez El Bali), the Chouara tanneries hide in the middle of several buildings and alleys. The vats are not accessible to visitors, but it is possible to admire them from the terraces of the shops that surround them. These shops are part of the souk of tanners and therefore offer all kinds of leather objects, clothing, and accessories, as well as other tourist products.
Almost a thousand years old, Chouara tanneries are a place not to be missed. Stroll through the alleys of the souk and find a shop near the vats. Most of the shops around have street touts who will offer to take you to see the tanneries from their terrace, in the hope that you will leave with a souvenir from their store. But you obviously don't have to purchase anything.
The little advice Dollar Morocco: rent a small car to move easily to Fez, and to go to the medina where you can admire the Chouara tanneries.
Practical information
It is in the center of Fez that the Chouara tanneries are located – almost millennia-old tanneries. It is a very famous site that can be admired from the terraces of the surrounding shops. The smell of tanneries is quite unpleasant, but the beauty of these traditional places is well worth this discomfort. To get to the tanners' souk where the Chouara tanneries are located, you will need to rent a car – at Fez airport, for example.
Access map: Tanneries Chouara, in Fez El Bali
Getting there: Car rental Fez or Car rental Fez airport (car rental agencies Dollar Morocco Fez)
