What to buy in Fes (pottery, leather)?

Fes is, without exaggeration, the artisan heart of Morocco — the place where the country's finest traditional crafts are still made by hand in workshops that have run for centuries. If you're going to buy souvenirs anywhere on your trip, this is the city to do it, because the quality and authenticity are a cut above. The headline crafts are pottery and leather, but the medina is a treasure house of metalwork, textiles and more, and the great pleasure here is buying from the very workshops where the pieces are made.

Fassi pottery is the city's signature, instantly recognisable for its deep cobalt "Fes blue" glaze and intricate hand-painted patterns, alongside zellige — the cut mosaic tilework that adorns Morocco's palaces and fountains. You'll find tagines, bowls, plates, vases and tiles, much of it still thrown and painted by hand in the potters' quarter (the Quartier des Potiers) on the edge of the city, where you can watch the whole process from wheel to kiln to brush. Ceramics are heavy and breakable, so buy with care, ask the shop to pack pieces properly, and seriously consider shipping if you're buying a dinner service rather than a single bowl — reputable Fes shops arrange international shipping all the time.

Leather is the other great Fes buy, coming straight from the medieval Chouara and Sidi Moussa tanneries you'll have seen. The range is huge: soft babouches (pointed slippers) in every colour, handbags and satchels, belts, wallets, supple leather jackets, and the iconic leather poufs (footstools) that ship flat and stuff at home. Quality varies, so handle the goods — good leather is even, supple and smells of leather, not chemicals — and buy the everyday items (babouches, small bags) freely while taking more time over big-ticket jackets. The leather shops above the tanneries give you the view and the goods in one place, though you can often buy as well or better deeper in the souks.

Beyond pottery and leather, don't overlook the rest of Fes's craftsmanship. The metalworkers' square (Place Seffarine) rings with hammers shaping brass and copper trays, teapots, lanterns and bowls — wonderful, lightweight-ish gifts. Fes is also known for its fine textiles and embroidery, including silk-thread work and the traditional blue-and-white "Fassi embroidery," plus woven blankets, scarves and the cactus-silk "sabra" fabric. Natural cosmetics — argan oil, rose water, black soap, ghassoul clay from the surrounding region — make light, affordable, genuinely useful buys too.

A few buying principles serve you well in Fes. Wherever possible, buy where you can watch it being made — it guarantees authenticity and the price tends to be fairer than in pure tourist boutiques. Haggling is expected in the souks (less so in fixed-price government craft showrooms or cooperatives, which are a good honest baseline for quality and price). Carry cash, take your time, and don't feel rushed by the theatre of the sale. And for anything heavy or fragile, arrange shipping rather than wrestling pottery through three flights home. Buy thoughtfully here and you'll come away with the finest, most authentic crafts Morocco has to offer.