In Fes, we visited a leather shop which overlooked the ancient tanneries. The white vats you see are several centuries old. They are filled with a solution made from guano, which is used to strip the hair from the hides of camels, goats and sheep, and to soften them. As you can imagine, the odor, even from a distance of 20 or 40 yards, was quite overpowering. The tanners are knee deep in the stuff all day! Nearby are other vats filled with natural dyes made from vegetable materials, such as henna and saffron.
Now, the picture below of the camel head in the butcher shop is a little rough to take, and I debated whether to include it; but, it's life in Morocco. You can also see chickens and ducks and pigeons running free in the souk, unwittingly enjoying their last moments of life dodging the feet of passersby.
The other night, here in the Rabat medina (where I went to purchase a better smock for myself for the orphanage), I saw COOKED camel heads, being ground into street food. Combined with the smell, this was the first sight in Morocco (of many possible contenders) that actually made me queasy.
Okay, I'm going to post this, and will do two more posts tonight, insha'allah.
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