Last updated: June 2026
The Chouara tanneries are one of the most photographed sights in Morocco - and one of the most misrepresented. There is no free neutral viewpoint. You watch from inside a leather shop, and the moment you step through that door, you are in a sales environment. This guide tells you exactly what to expect.
The tanneries are worth visiting. They’re genuinely extraordinary - a medieval industry still operating by hand, with hundreds of stone pits stained every colour of the spectrum. But go in with clear eyes, because the visit is structured in a way that most travel content glosses over.
What You Actually See
The Chouara tannery sits in the heart of Fes el-Bali, and it’s been tanning leather on this same site since the 11th century. The compound is a grid of circular stone vats - some filled with white lime solution, others with natural dyes: indigo blue, saffron yellow, poppy red, cedar brown. Workers in rolled-up trousers move between them, treading hides and wringing out excess liquid.
The process itself is genuinely ancient. Raw hides arrive from slaughterhouses and are first soaked in a mixture of quicklime and pigeon droppings - the ammonia in the guano softens the skin and strips the hair. You can sometimes smell this stage from streets away. After that, the hides go into the dye vats, which is where the colour comes from. Everything is done by hand, by workers who have often inherited their spot in the tannery from their fathers.
The compound is large - maybe 80 vats across. From the terrace above, you look down across the whole operation. On a sunny morning the colours are vivid and the steam rises off the pits. It genuinely does look like the photographs.
The Terrace Reality: There Is No Free View
Here is the thing nobody tells you directly: you cannot view the tanneries from a neutral public space. The only elevated view is from the terraces of the leather shops that ring the upper level of the compound. These shops are businesses. The terrace is their hook.
When you arrive at the Chouara area, you’ll be directed - by guides, by signs, by men standing at doorways - into one of these shops. They will hand you a sprig of fresh mint to hold under your nose (more on that below) and wave you up to the terrace. This is how it works. The terrace access is technically free, but you are now inside a shop full of leather goods with a salesperson waiting for you to come back down.
Some shops are low-pressure. Others are not. Expect someone to ask what you’re looking for. Expect the goods to be arrayed around you. Expect to feel awkward leaving empty-handed. If you don’t buy anything, leaving a small tip - 10 to 20 MAD per person - removes the tension entirely. It’s a reasonable transaction.
The sales pitch is not aggressive by Moroccan medina standards, but it is persistent. Know what you want to do before you go in: browse and tip, or genuinely consider buying. Don’t drift in undecided or you’ll feel cornered.
For context on navigating Morocco’s sales culture more broadly, our haggling guide covers the basics.
The Smell
Yes, it smells. The lime and pigeon guano stage has a sharp, sour, ammonia-heavy odour. In summer heat it can be quite strong. In cooler months or early morning, it’s more manageable.
The mint sprigs the shopkeepers hand you do help. Hold one loosely under your nose - it won’t eliminate the smell but gives your senses somewhere else to go. The mint is usually free, though in some shops they’ll try to charge for it. If anyone asks for money for the mint before you’ve even got to the terrace, just decline and walk past.
Most visitors find the smell unpleasant but tolerable for 20-30 minutes. If you’re particularly sensitive, go early in the morning when temperatures are lower and the dye vats are freshest.
Best Time and Light for Photography
Morning is significantly better than afternoon. Before 11am, the whole compound is in direct light and the colours read well. By afternoon, the taller buildings to the west cast shadows across half the pits, and you lose the saturation that makes the photos worth taking.
Arrive around 8:30 to 9am if you can. Tour groups build from 10am onward and the terraces get crowded. Earlier visits mean fewer bodies in the frame and a calmer shopping experience on the way out.
From the terraces, a zoom lens (or a phone with a decent optical zoom) lets you isolate individual vats or workers without having to intrude on anyone’s space. Wide shots capture the scale of the compound. Both are worth doing.
Photography is openly encouraged from the terraces - it’s part of why the shops let you up there. If you want to photograph individual workers up close, use common sense: make eye contact, gesture with your camera, wait for a nod. Many workers are used to it. A small tip of 10 to 20 MAD is appropriate if you’re directing a specific person.
Our Fes medina guide has more on photography etiquette in the medina.
Should You Buy Leather Here - And How to Haggle
This is genuinely contested. The leather sold in these terrace shops is real Moroccan leather, often of decent quality. Babouches (traditional slippers) are good value and easy to pack. Bags and jackets are more variable.
The starting prices are tourist prices. A leather bag quoted at 800 MAD can reasonably be negotiated to 400-500 MAD if you’re patient and willing to walk. Babouches start around 200-250 MAD and can come down to 120-150 MAD. Jackets are more expensive and harder to assess for quality quickly - we’d be cautious buying a jacket here without knowing what you’re looking at.
Haggling approach: look interested but not eager, ask the price once, counter at about 40-50% of the ask, and be prepared to actually walk away. The walk-away is the most effective tool you have. If they let you leave, you were at your floor; if they call you back, you have room.
The honest answer on whether to buy: if you want leather goods and you’re in Fes anyway, these shops are a reasonable place to buy them. The quality is not always superior to what you’d find elsewhere in the medina, and the prices aren’t necessarily lower - you’re paying a tourist premium for the experience. But if you see something you like and the price feels fair after negotiating, there’s no reason not to buy.
The same principles apply everywhere in Morocco’s souks.
Watch Out For
A few things specific to the tanneries area:
Unofficial guides. Men near the entrance to the Chouara area may offer to show you to the best terrace. Some are harmless, others expect payment or will steer you to a specific shop that pays them commission. You don’t need a guide to find the tanneries - follow the smell and the signs, or use our Fes travel guide for the approach routes.
The “free” mint that isn’t. As mentioned: most shops give it freely, but some charge. Clarify before accepting it.
The tip demand on the way out. Some shops have staff stationed at the terrace exit who ask for a tip before you can return to the shop floor. It’s not official and you’re not obliged, but 10-20 MAD is a small price to leave gracefully.
For the full picture on tourist-targeted situations in Morocco, our Morocco scams guide covers the patterns worth knowing.
The Sidi Moussa Alternative
If the Chouara crowds feel like too much, the Sidi Moussa tannery is worth knowing about. It sits near the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II in the older part of Fes el-Bali, and local tradition holds it’s actually older than Chouara - dating to the city’s founding in the 9th century.
It’s much smaller, much quieter, and sees a fraction of the tourist traffic. The vats are fewer, the surrounding streets less commercialised, and the workers less accustomed to being photographed - which can make the experience feel more genuine, though it also means you should be more careful about pointing cameras.
There are leather shops with terrace access here too, but the pressure is considerably lower. If you’ve already seen Chouara and want a second look at the process without the crowds, Sidi Moussa is worth the detour. It’s harder to find - ask at your riad for directions rather than relying on signage.
Our Fes travel guide covers the medina’s main areas. We also run small-group Fes tours if you want a local guide who knows both tanneries.
Is It Worth Visiting?
Yes, with calibrated expectations.
The Chouara tannery is a functioning medieval industry, not a museum recreation. The colours are real, the process is real, and the scale of the operation is impressive in a way that photographs don’t quite convey. You’re looking at a craft that has changed almost nothing in a thousand years.
What it isn’t: a peaceful cultural experience. It’s a busy, smelly, commercially structured visit where you’ll feel some sales pressure and where the “authentic” framing is partly a retail mechanism. Both of these things can be true at the same time.
Go in with that understanding, tip fairly on the way out, and you’ll leave with a genuine memory of Fes rather than a sense that you were taken advantage of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is entry to the Chouara tannery free?
Technically yes - no official admission fee is charged. In practice, you access the view from inside leather shops, and leaving without buying anything or tipping (10-20 MAD per person) creates an awkward exit. Budget a small tip and you’ll have no trouble.
How bad is the smell at the tanneries?
It depends on the season and time of day. The ammonia from the lime-and-pigeon-guano soaking pits is the main source - sharp and sour. In summer it can be quite strong; in cooler months or early morning it’s more manageable. The mint sprigs help. Most visitors find it tolerable for 20-30 minutes.
What is the best time to visit the Fes tanneries?
Early morning - around 8:30 to 9am - is best for photography (full light on the vats before shadows arrive) and for avoiding tour groups, which build from 10am onward. Avoid summer afternoons if you’re sensitive to smell.
Should I buy leather at the Chouara tannery?
It’s a reasonable place to buy if you see something you want, but don’t expect the lowest prices in Fes. Babouches (slippers) are good value. Bags and jackets require more scrutiny for quality. Always negotiate - start at 40-50% of the asking price and be willing to walk away.
What is the Sidi Moussa tannery and is it worth visiting?
Sidi Moussa is a smaller, older tannery in Fes el-Bali with significantly fewer tourists and lower sales pressure. It shows the same traditional process as Chouara but on a more intimate scale. Worth visiting if you want a quieter alternative or have already seen Chouara.
Do I need a guide to visit the tanneries?
No, but a guide helps you navigate the medina lanes getting there and can take you to both Chouara and Sidi Moussa without getting turned around. If you’re going independently, ask your riad for walking directions. Be cautious of unofficial “guides” near the tannery entrance - they typically expect payment or steer you to shops on commission. We offer guided tours of Fes for proper local context.
