Tanning Leather the Old Fashioned Way, Morocco

This enormous rooftop leather tanning and dying operation is a sight to behold.  Located right in the center of the medina in Fes, it is a craft that is still done the way that it was hundreds of years ago.  When you enter the building you are handed a sprig of mint to hold under your nose should the smell of the pigeon excrement that is used to dye the leather prove overwhelming, but in reality, the area is so large that you hardly notice the smell.  Well, almost.

The thing that I learned that day, besided the fact that I definitely did not appreciate the work invovled in dying leather and that I am blessed not to have this as my job, was that I really find goat skin incredibly soft and supple.  I did not make a purchase that day, but I filed that information away for some future time when I might be able to use it.