Chouara Tannery Fes: An Honest Visitor's Guide for 2026

The Chouara Tannery in Fes is a working medieval leather tannery, in operation for roughly a thousand years, where hides are still cured in stone vats of lime and pigeon droppings, then hand-dyed with natural colours like indigo and poppy. You view it for free from the terraces of the leather shops that surround it, with no official ticket.

#Why Visit the Chouara Tannery

There are very few places left on earth where you can watch a craft happening exactly as it did in the Middle Ages. Chouara is one of them. From a rooftop terrace you look straight down into a honeycomb of round stone pits, some filled with chalky white liquid, others glowing red, saffron, indigo and brown. Men stand thigh-deep in the dye, working hides by hand. The smell hits you before the view does, and that, oddly, is part of why people come.

It is also a genuine economic engine, not a museum set piece. The leather you see drying on the surrounding rooftops becomes the bags, babouches (slippers) and jackets sold in the shops below. Whether you buy anything or not, you are looking at a living trade.

#A Short History

Tanning has been practised in this corner of the Fes el-Bali medina since the city's early centuries, and Chouara is generally considered the largest and oldest of its tanneries. The basic method has barely changed. What you are watching is essentially a medieval industrial process that survived because the demand for Moroccan leather never went away.

The tannery sits inside Fes el-Bali, the older walled medina founded in the late 8th and 9th centuries and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To understand how Chouara fits into the wider city, the imperial cities guide puts Fes in context alongside Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat.

#What to See and How It Works

The process is grippingly low-tech:

• The white vats. Hides first soak for two to three days in a mix of quicklime, water, salt, and pigeon droppings. The ammonia in the droppings softens the leather so it will absorb dye. Workers knead the skins by foot to get them supple.
• The colour vats. The softened hides move to the dyeing pits, traditionally coloured with natural sources: poppy for red, indigo for blue, henna and saffron for the warm oranges and yellows, mint for green.
• Drying. Dyed hides are laid out in the sun, including across the surrounding rooftops, which is why the whole quarter looks like a patchwork from above.

You watch all of this from above. The shops lining the lane known as Derb Chouara have multi-level terraces, and each one looks down onto the pits from a slightly different angle.

A word of honesty about the experience: as you approach, you will almost certainly be handed a sprig of fresh mint to hold under your nose. It does not erase the smell, but it genuinely takes the edge off. Take it, and don't feel you owe anything for it.

#Planning Your Visit

Hours and tickets. There is no official opening time and no ticket booth, because you are not entering the tannery itself, you are entering a private leather shop and using its terrace. The shops generally open through the morning and afternoon, daily. Note that you may see less activity on Fridays (the main prayer day) and the work tends to wind down in the early afternoon.

Cost. Access is technically free. In practice the shop expects you to look at its leather goods afterwards, and there is gentle (sometimes not so gentle) pressure to buy. If you don't buy, a small tip of around 10 to 20 MAD per person (roughly 1 to 2 EUR / USD, please confirm current rates) for the terrace view is customary and fair. Anyone who "helps" you find the way unasked will also expect a tip.

How to get there. Chouara is deep inside Fes el-Bali. The lanes are a genuine maze with no cars, so most visitors walk in from the Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate) area or come down from the Al-Quaraouiyine quarter. Phone GPS is unreliable among the high walls. Allow time to get a little lost, or arrive with a guide.

How long to allow. The viewing itself takes 15 to 30 minutes. Add browsing time in the shops if you intend to buy.

#Insider Tips

• Go in the morning. The dyes are freshest and the light is best for photography. By late afternoon some pits are emptier and the colours look tired.
• Spring and autumn are kindest. In high summer the heat amplifies the smell considerably.
• Be straight about the sales pressure. This is the honest part most guides skip. Once you're on the terrace, you'll be walked through to the shop. A polite, firm "thank you, just looking" repeated calmly works. You are not obliged to buy, and you should not feel guilted into it.
• Photography. Shoot wide to capture the full grid of vats, and tight on a single worker for the human story. A polarising filter helps with glare off the wet dye.
• What to buy. If you do want leather, Chouara is a reasonable place for poufs, bags, and babouches, but always bargain (expect to pay roughly half the opening price), check the stitching, and smell the item, properly cured leather should not reek.
• Watch for the unasked "helper." A common move is someone insisting they're "not a guide, looking is free," then demanding money at the top. Tip only if they actually translated or genuinely helped.

#Nearby

You are in the richest part of the Fes medina. Within a short, winding walk you'll find the Al-Quaraouiyine mosque and university and the beautiful Bou Inania Madrasa. The Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts, set in a restored former caravanserai, is also close and worth around 20 to 25 MAD entry (confirm current price). Together these make a natural half-day on foot.

#Visiting on a Private Tour

The single biggest frustration travellers report at Chouara is not the smell, it's the pressure and the confusion over who to trust. A reputable private guide changes the whole experience: you get an honest terrace view without being funnelled into a hard sell, a real explanation of the process, and someone who knows which shops are fair if you do want to buy. At Serenity Morocco Tours our private tours include a vetted local guide for exactly this reason. You can see how the tannery fits into a wider Fes itinerary on our Fes tours page, or browse the full collection of tours.

#Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an entrance fee for the Chouara Tannery? No official ticket. You view it from a leather shop's terrace. Access is technically free, but a tip of around 10 to 20 MAD is customary if you don't make a purchase.

Does the tannery smell as bad as people say? It has a strong, distinctive odour, strongest in summer. The mint sprig you'll be handed helps. Most visitors find it bearable for the short time they're on the terrace.

What is the best time of day to visit? Morning, when the dyes are fresh and the light is good for photos.

Do I have to buy leather? No. There will be sales pressure, but you can decline politely. A small tip for the view is reasonable.

Is it suitable for children? Yes, though young children may find the smell unpleasant. The terraces have railings, but keep an eye on little ones near the edges.