Explore Morocco: Day Three in Marrakech

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Day Three in Marrakech

Our third day in Marrakech was very relaxing. After a late breakfast of fried eggs and toasted buns with soft cheese, Ryan and I spent most of the day on our rooftop terrace. I crocheted my garden party cardigan while Ryan played his harmonica. We were looking into booking a cooking lesson at La Maison Arabe, which our tourist map said cost 300 Dh per person. When our host Mohamed called for us, they quoted 600 Dh per person! No way! Mohamed said it was too pricey and offered for the woman who regularly cooks meals at the AirBnB to show us some dishes the next day, for a much better price. We gratefully accepted!

Around 6 pm, we ventured forth to find dinner. Again we found a restaurant with a rooftop terrace (notice a pattern here?). Ryan had the Couscous Royal (with lots of vegetables, chicken, lamb, and sausage, topped with chickpeas and onion). I had the Tagine a Viande with cinnamon and apricots. Once again, both were delicious!

Lots of restaurants appeared to be very empty. Perhaps it is our odd mealtimes (late lunch, early dinner), or it wasn’t quite tourist season yet? Even though we saw lots of other tourists, were they eating at fancy hotels and glitzy restaurants?

Our AirBnB was located in the El Moukef district, next to the tanneries. Every day, there were two markets on the large road that cut through the area: one in the morning, and one in the evening. Vendors sold anything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to fresh fish, fresh meat, tiles, and clothes. Some clothing stalls even had the sewing machine out, and the tailor would use the treadle to make alterations. We were some of the few tourists staying in that area and shopping that market.

As we stayed home on that third day in Marrakech, we got to watch the tanners at work. Tanning leather is a hard and dirty job, but the leather they produce was gorgeous.

The tanners started working quite early in the morning, so we never got to see the fresh hides arrive. However, we eventually worked out some of what the process is. The hides make their way through the vats, then drying on the flat earth, and then on to more vats. First, the skins soak in a mixture of cow urine for three to six days. After fermenting in this vat, the skins lay out to dry. Then, the tanners scrape hair off the hide and return it to another pit of lime and argan seed ash. This step lasts 15 to 30 days (depending on the season) and helps remove remaining fat and hair from the hide.

Following that step, the hides are washed and then returned to a pit of pigeon droppings and water, which makes the hides thinner and stretchier. Often, the tanners would be in the pits with the hides, treading on them to soften them. After all that, the tanners eventually dye the skins. Of course all that fermenting pigeon poo and raw skins will have a scent. When my family visited the Moroccan tanneries on our first visit, the guide gave us a sprig of mint to hold under our noses. However, our AirBnB rooftop patio was far enough removed that the smell wasn’t that bad.

These vats are where most of the action happens. Once the skins have been dyed, they were often laid outside on the walkways and squares of the area to dry. Unfortunately our view didn’t include the dyers. Apparently the tanners traditionally used poppy, henna, indigo, cedar, saffron, and mint as dyes. It’s amazing to think that leather has been made the same way here for hundreds of years!

One of the leather craftspeople told us that goat leather is the softest and thinnest. Sheep, cow, and camel leather goods were also available. However, he also said that tourists would ask for camel leather, but that is very expensive and thick, and the tourists didn’t often purchase it. I’ve been using my goatskin tote bag for work since we got back from Marrakech, and I couldn’t be happier!