The tanneries of Fez.
Think of the worst smell imaginable and then some. As we entered the shop selling all kinds of leather goods we wondered why we were ceremoniously presented with a few stems of mint. They had the most inviting fragrance - all the better to mask what we were to confront.
Below us were a myriad of round wells or vats, some filled with whitish green liquid, others with coloured liquid.
Some with men half immersed in the vats, others stomping on something inside and others pulling out coloured lengths of what looked like fabric.
These whitish-green vats contain a mixture of pigeon poo and vinegar and have THE most revolting smell even the mint cannot disguise.
People get paid about $2 per kilo to collect the poo (that's a lot of pigeons)!
The skins are left in these vats for several days to become supple, then washed and placed in the dye vats.
This was the well documented tannery of which Fez is famous and the vats contained skins of sheep, camel and goat being slowly stripped of their wool, made supple then dyed before being transformed.
In the showroom were racks of long and short coats, suitcases, satchels etc and rows and rows of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior handbags. The snake oil salesman, with hand on heart assured me they were the absolute genuine item "we make them here for the big fashion houses!"
As if!
Needless to say my money stayed in my pocket!
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