9000. That’s how many alleyways there are in the Medina in Fes, Morocco according to the tourist guidebooks.
The Leica Akademie Australia photo tour to Morocco which I went on last October which included a visit to the city of Fes. I spent a full day there exploring the Medina . A Medina means the old city, usually the historical, walled part of a city. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the count but the Fes Medina is an extraordinary jumble of alleyways and lanes in which it is very easy to become totally disorientated.
If you are lost Google maps won’t be any help because Google have not mapped the Medina accurately and anyway satellite signals cannot penetrate deep into the chasms of the Medina.
Probably the best thing about the Fes Medina, apart from its complexity, is that it is still very much a working city filled with houses, cafes, even tanneries and hundreds of vendors selling the necessities of every day living. Of course there are stalls catering for the tourists but when I was there the locals far outnumbered the tourists although I’m sure it’s different story in the peak tourist season.
The Medina threw up plenty of photo opportunities-and I was really pleased with my efforts. Below is a selection of my photos from that day wandering some of the 9000 alleyways.
I was happy with my decision to take just my Leica Q3 43 with me to Morocco I have no hesitation in saying that the Q3 43 with its 43mm lens is my firm favourite. With its considerable heft it is not everyone’s idea of the perfect travel camera but it comes close for me.
