Fes' Jewish Cemetery & Synagogue

the old Jewish quarter in Fes (and other Moroccan cities as well) is called the Mellah.  This word means salt, which was used as currency in the middle ages when salt was essential for preserving food.  Our first stop was the palace to see the amazing palace doors (see prior post) - then we walked through the old Jewish cemetery- afterward we head on to the Mellah's market area and visit an old synagogue..

the synagogue was very small and tucked away down an alley - we would have never found it on our own-

a view into the mikvah from through the floor of the synagogue-

next up - lots of shops with a lot of jewelry and shoes - one quite high end and other seriously mass market...

the palace gates

so on our first morning in Fes we headed to a museum to start our day.  this museum held various artifacts including carpets and doors and other architectural features of old palaces.  As a matter of fact it was housed in an old palace that was historically the quest quarters for visitors to the king. From there we went on the entrance gates of the new palace in Fes- which were magnificent examples of the mosaic tile work we have been seeing and also some incredible metal working- but  the photos tell the story much better than I would-

as is common the palace is built around a central courtyard and all rooms open to the courtyard with almost none of them connecting with each other- the courtyard has a central fountain or water feature.... and despite the hustle and bustle going on just outside - the inner courtyard is an oasis of serenity and quiet.

below is a small courtyard in the corner of the building -

the decorative wood and tile work on the old palace is not a lost art, as are so many crafts in the west- below are views of the modern palace gates/doors-

   

 

 this new palace is just around the corner from the old Jewish cemetery - so that is where we are headed next - along with a stroll through the mellah!

newlyweds visit

so this past weekend we had a visit from Jennifer and Dave - newlyweds on their Florida honeymoon swing... we had a quick visit before they headed home to Denver... they arrived late Thursday afternoon and were gone by early Saturday evening.  We had dinner Thursday at Blue Marlin in Bradenton Beach and then Friday at Bijou - during the day we did the island historical family tour... DeSoto Memorial site, three golfs courses for info for possible return trips, a boat ride with Captain Patsy out of Cortez fishing village and a spring training game (very chilly) at McKechnie Field where the Pirates lost to the Twins....

so here are a few photos-

we did not get to see Snooty - so that will have to wait until next visit... but as we all know "you can't see it all in one trip!"  next up- back to Fes!