Leica Akademie in Morocco-Part 10

 

From Fes we went for a morning to the Roman ruins at Volubilis a 90 minutes drive.

I was surprised to learn that the Romans had colonised what is now Morocco and had built their usual impressive structures, with of course the inevitable mosaic floors, some of which remain intact.

In fact, Morocco is home to several Roman ruins, with Volubilis being the most notable. The ancient city, founded in the 3rd century BC, was the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania and an important outpost of the Roman Empire.

It was hot wandering the ruins but here are a few photos which give some impression of the impressive structures.

 

Leica Akademie in Morocco-Part 9

 What really stinks and is a major tourist attraction? Answer, a tannery in Fes, Morocco. In fact there are three ancient tanneries in Fes and the most well known is the Chouara Tannery. To find out more see Chouara Tannery 

Most travel stories on Morocco feature Fes and the tanneries with photos taken from the elevated position. I found the tannery fascinating but, and it's a very big but, I was appalled by the working conditions of the workers. 

When I read later that the tanneries still used heavily polluting and highly health hazardous chemicals, including chromium, and that attempts to close the tanneries or relocate them had been blocked because they are a major tourist attraction I was utterly disgusted. I feel bad at even posting the photos but they are taken now. Maximum demerit points on this one, Fes.

 

 

 

With the Leica Akademie in Morocco-Part 8

More photos from the extraordinary Medina in Fes. One could spend a week in the alleys and lanes taking photos and still not run out of subjects.

Your biggest worry would be finding your way out and there would be no point in turning to Google maps for help as the Medina mapping is not reliable.