| View of the leather tanks in Fes El Bali. The white tanks in the distance use acid from pidgeon droppings to soften the skins and burn off any wool or hair. The closest tanks are for dying the leather,only natural dyes are used, the red is a flower-based color. The tanks in the middle are for washing the skins before dying.
These pits have been in continuous use since 1400. There is a caste system in place and the men working here probably inherited their jobs from their fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Their sons will likely inherit their jobs eventually too.
The whole place smelled horrible, although not as bad as some parts of New York City. On the way there, our guide stopped into a souk and bought each of us a bunch of fresh mint to hold under our noses. I noticed some of the locals had small bunches of mint shoved into their noses.
|
