In many North African cities the "old town" is referred to as a medina. Medinas are typically surrounded by a wall and characterized by narrow, winding, cobblestone streets. Having spent hours lost in the medinas of Tunis and Marrakech, we wised up on our visit to Fez, Morocco and hired a local to guide us through the maze.Inside the medina it's dark. The light of day is blocked by towering walls, shop awnings and smoke billowing from open fires. The alleys are lined with stalls and crowded by donkeys carrying heavy packs, chickens clucking and hoards of people.
Some people are scurrying through, others are resting with a smoke or a tin cup of tea, and yet more are grabbing you by the hand to escort you into their shops to have a look "for free." Fortunately, inside the Fez medina, the locals are not as aggressive, and touching and shouting is not commonplace.
Within the walls of the Fez medina car traffic is prohibited, and it's actually the largest car-free urban area in the world. Surrounding the mosques and near the decorated communal fountains, stalls sell everything from camel meat by the kilo and shovelfuls of snails, to leather goods and copper pots.
On our way through we grabbed a pita stuffed with cow's tongue and splashed with hot sauce and tried our best to keep up with the guide as he darted uphill through the crowds. The heart of the city, the medina is exploding with life and has a culture of its own that's undeniably engulfing.
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