Inside the Chouara Tannery: 1,000 Years of Moroccan Leather

To reach the Chouara tannery in Fes, you pass through the medina — one of the most intact medieval cities in the world — and climb to a rooftop viewing point above a shop selling leather goods. Below, in a courtyard that has barely changed in a thousand years, men stand ankle-deep in circular stone vats filled with coloured liquid, working hides with their feet.

The smell hits you first. It is not a pleasant smell. Ammonia, animal fat, organic decay — the raw materials of the tanning process. Vendors offer sprigs of mint to hold to your nose.

A Thousand Years of Craft

The Chouara tannery was founded in the 11th century, shortly after Fes became the capital of the Idrisid dynasty. It has operated continuously since then — the same location, the same methods, the same stone vats.

This makes it one of the oldest continuously operating industrial sites in the world. The techniques used today are essentially unchanged from those of medieval times.

The Tanning Process

Tanning transforms raw animal hide (primarily cattle, goat, and sheep) into leather. The process at Chouara uses natural, plant-based tanning agents — a practice called vegetable tanning that produces leather of exceptional quality and durability.

Preparation: Fresh hides arrive from the slaughterhouse and are first treated in a lime solution to remove hair and flesh.

The pigeon dung vats: Hides are soaked in vats of pigeon dung (which is rich in ammonia and enzymes) to soften and open the pores of the skin.

Tanning: The softened hides are transferred to the tanning vats, which contain solutions made from tree bark, leaves, and other plant materials. The most important tanning agent is sumac bark, which gives Moroccan leather its characteristic suppleness.

Dyeing: After tanning, hides are placed in the dye vats. Traditionally, the colours came entirely from natural sources: saffron for yellow, indigo for blue, poppies for red, mint for green, antimony for black. Today, some synthetic dyes are used for consistency, but natural dyes remain for premium work.

Drying and finishing: Dyed hides are stretched on frames to dry in the sun, then softened and polished by craftsmen who have spent years learning the feel of properly finished leather.

The Leather Souk

From the tannery, the finished leather moves to the workshops and shops of Fes's leather souk, where it is worked by craftsmen into the objects for which Moroccan leather is famous: babouche slippers, poufs, bags, belts, wallets, and bookbindings.

The leather craftsmen of Fes have supplied the courts of Europe and the Middle East for centuries. Moroccan leather (maroquin) gave its name to the word "morocco" used by bookbinders worldwide to describe high-quality goatskin leather.

Buying Fes Leather

Authentic Fes leather has a distinctive softness and a particular smell — a combination of vegetable tanning agents and natural oils that synthetic leather cannot replicate. Genuine vegetable-tanned leather ages beautifully, developing a patina with use.

AfriCraft works directly with leather craftsmen in Fes and Marrakech to bring authentic Moroccan leather goods to global buyers. Each piece includes documentation of its origin and the tannery tradition it represents.