{"id":18464,"date":"2026-09-13T15:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T13:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/?p=18464"},"modified":"2026-11-04T14:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:20:56","slug":"kad-se-izgubis-u-medini-pronades-dusu-maroka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/kad-se-izgubis-u-medini-pronades-dusu-maroka\/","title":{"rendered":"Lose Your Way in the Medina, Find the Soul of Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- maroko-serijal-start --><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"Seven Days in Morocco Series\" style=\"box-sizing:border-box;background:#252e28;color:#f6f1e7;border-left:4px solid #a06b49;padding:clamp(24px,4vw,42px);margin:2.5em clamp(-28px,-3vw,-12px);\">\n<p class=\"translation-block\" style=\"color:#d8b391!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:.2em;font-weight:700;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 14px;text-transform:uppercase;\">Travel Stories \u00b7 My Travel Series<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;font-size:clamp(30px,4vw,44px);line-height:1.12;margin:0 0 18px;\">Seven Days in Morocco<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\" style=\"color:#e8e4d9!important;font-size:18px;line-height:1.65;margin:0 0 24px;\">From the bustle of Marrakech across the High Atlas and Saharan dunes to the medina of Fez. Seven stories of people, cities and encounters along the way.<\/p>\n<nav aria-label=\"Morocco Series \u2013 All Instalments\" style=\"display:grid;gap:0;\">\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/marrakech-lose-your-way-find-a-story\/\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;\">Marrakech \u2013 A City of Stories <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2197<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/across-the-atlas-to-the-city-that-became-troy\/\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;\">Across the Atlas to A\u00eft Ben Haddou <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2197<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/from-canyons-to-dunes-towards-the-sahara\/\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;\">From Canyons to Dunes \u2013 Dades, Todra and Merzouga <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2197<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/at-the-edge-of-the-dunes-tea-stone-and-song\/\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;\">At the Edge of the Dunes \u2013 Nomads, Fossils and Khamlia <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2197<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/barefoot-into-silence\/\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;\">Barefoot into Silence \u2013 Night and Morning among the Dunes \u2197<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/from-sand-to-cedars\/\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:4px;\">From Sand to Cedars \u2013 From Merzouga to Fez <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2197<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"border-top:1px solid #536052;padding:13px 0;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;\"><span aria-current=\"page\" style=\"color:#f6f1e7;font-weight:700;\">Fez \u2013 Lose Your Way in the Medina, Find the Soul of Morocco<\/span><span style=\"display:block;color:#d8b391;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;margin-top:3px;\">You Are Reading \u00b7 Final Instalment<\/span><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/aside>\n<p><!-- maroko-serijal-end --><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><em>The seventh and final instalment of Seven Days in Morocco.<\/em> After <a href=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/od-pijeska-do-cedrova\/\">travelling from Merzouga through the cedar forests to Fez<\/a>, we enter the medina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">Outside the <strong>Royal Palace in Fez<\/strong>, everything is still easy to take in: an open space, richly decorated entrances and room to step back for a photograph. We began our visit here with <strong>Muhamed<\/strong>, a superb guide to history who made buildings more than attractive fa\u00e7ades. Yet when I think of Fez now, the palace is not the first image that returns. I remember a narrow lane where I no longer knew where I was, the sound of copper being hammered and a young man who gave me bread. I could hardly have wished for a better story to end my Moroccan journey.<\/p>\n<h2>Fez from Outside, before the Medina Swallows Us<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">The palace belongs to <strong>Fes el-Jdid<\/strong>, the historic \u201cnew Fez\u201d, outside the oldest medina, <strong>Fes el-Bali<\/strong>. Impressive as its gates are, they are only a beginning. We also visited a fortress above Fez. From such a place, the city\u2019s dense weave becomes clearest: roof beside roof, wall beside wall, punctuated by minarets and green rooftops. From above, you try to imagine the streets connecting it all. Only later do you understand how difficult it is to connect them in your own mind.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/01-192610.jpg\" alt=\"The Royal Palace in Fez \u2013 the beginning of our visit.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>The Royal Palace in Fez \u2013 the beginning of our visit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">A few figures help convey its scale. The UNESCO-listed historic property covers <strong>280 hectares<\/strong>, or 2.8 square kilometres: 220 hectares in <strong>Fes el-Bali<\/strong> and 60 in <strong>Fes el-Jdid<\/strong>. Population figures require a distinction between the old urban fabric and administrative boundaries: the <strong>F\u00e8s-M\u00e9dina district had 49,775 residents<\/strong> in the 2024 census. This is an entire world of daily life, families, workshops and shops, joined during the day by workers, customers and visitors. The medina is not a set you enter after buying a ticket. People live here.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/02-192667.jpg\" alt=\"Fez\u2019s roofs and minarets \u2013 the dense fabric of the old city.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>Fez\u2019s roofs and minarets \u2013 the dense fabric of the old city.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The Moment I Put Google Maps Away<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">For me, the real Fez began when we entered the medina. Some lanes are so narrow that you wonder how all this life fits into them. Someone carries goods, someone stops outside a shop, someone tries to pass, and you press against a wall and wait your turn. Your eyes keep moving towards doorways, displayed objects, openings overhead and another bend. Muhamed knew where we were going and what we were seeing. I tried to remember the route, then soon abandoned that ambition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">I also tried navigating with Google Maps. I watched the screen, compared it with the passages ahead and tried to identify the next turning. Then I put my phone away and simply got lost. I admit that does not particularly trouble me. I enjoy the moment when I stop walking only towards a destination and begin noticing what lies along the way. Still, the medina has its own logic. Street-name plaques can offer a clue: square or rectangular ones usually mark through streets, while hexagonal ones are often associated with dead-end lanes, or <em>derbs<\/em>. A useful little signpost, although for a first encounter with Fez I would still choose Muhamed over my own interpretation of the plaques.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/03-192752.jpg\" alt=\"A narrow passage in the medina of Fez.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>A narrow passage in the medina of Fez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Seffarine \u2013 The Square You Hear before You See It<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><strong>Seffarine Square<\/strong> has a sound of its own. Craftsmen work copper here, and hammer blows accompany you towards the workshops. Narrow passages open onto pots, trays and teapots, objects containing hours of work and years of experience. It is one of those scenes that suddenly makes a city\u2019s history comprehensible. Simply watch a craftsman\u2019s hands. Their assurance reveals how long he has known the material before him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">Here I met <strong>Hamid<\/strong>, a familiar figure on the square. He has been on Seffarine since boyhood, his life bound to copper and workshops for almost as long as he can remember. I sat beside him among pots and tools, and the photograph remains one of my favourites from Fez. People like him give a city a face. After meeting Hamid, you remember more than the square\u2019s name or craft; you remember someone you will look for if you return.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/06-192890.jpg\" alt=\"With Hamid among copper pots on Seffarine Square.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>With Hamid among copper pots on Seffarine Square.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Hides, Vats and the Hard Work behind the Familiar Photograph<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">The tannery offered a very different experience. From above, rows of vats open into view, some pale, others dark, crowded between buildings. People work with hides while moving along the narrow edges. A photograph attracts the eye with shapes and colours, but pause and you begin following the work itself. Behind the products later displayed in shops lie water, treatment, soaking, dyeing and considerable physical labour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">The demonstration of the process was excellent. I like being shown how something is made, connecting a finished object with its material and the hands that shaped it. In Fez, this happens from workshop to workshop. With copper, you listen to the hammer; here, you watch vats and hides. Gradually, you get to know the city through the people working in it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/08-192917.jpg\" alt=\"Vats and workers at a tannery in Fez.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>Vats and workers at a tannery in Fez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>A City Where You Eat Well<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">The food in Fez was fantastic. <em>Tagines<\/em>, bread and small bowls of side dishes turn lunch into a welcome pause after walking. My table held salads, lentils, carrots, beetroot and a slowly cooked dish, enough to make me briefly forget how many lanes I had crossed. Moroccan cooking accompanied the whole journey, and here even a walk through the market kept bringing my appetite back.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/09-193339.jpg\" alt=\"Lunch in Fez \u2013 tagine, bread and bowls of side dishes.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>Lunch in Fez \u2013 tagine, bread and bowls of side dishes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">Stalls are piled with olives, lemons and pickled vegetables, while butchers a few steps away reveal another side of the same daily life. Everything is close, exposed and alive. Handcarts move between shops, and someone even finds space in one for a short rest. It is easy to keep searching for the next landmark in the medina. I found these scenes just as interesting: a purchase, a worker\u2019s break, conversation across a counter, a city in the middle of an ordinary day.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/04-192842.jpg\" alt=\"Olives, lemons and pickled vegetables at the market.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>Olives, lemons and pickled vegetables at the market.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/05-192831.jpg\" alt=\"A butcher\u2019s display in the medina.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>A butcher\u2019s display in the medina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/07-192900.jpg\" alt=\"A rest beside a handcart \u2013 daily life in the medina.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption>A rest beside a handcart \u2013 daily life in the medina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The Bread I Did Not Buy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">Beside a communal bread oven, I saw a particularly interesting custom. Residents knead dough at home, bring it for baking and leave it with the man working at the oven. Later, they collect their baked loaves. Such communal ovens, or <em>ferrans<\/em>, form part of life in Moroccan neighbourhoods. I stood watching with curiosity. I have no photograph of the scene, but remember it clearly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">A young man noticed my curiosity. When he collected his bread, he offered it to me, saying, \u201cHere you are, a gift from us.\u201d I had asked for nothing. I had simply stopped, interested in their work, and he chose to share what he had come to collect. That simple gesture moved me. After palaces, desert dunes, mountains and long drives, I ended the journey holding a gift of bread.<\/p>\n<h2>The Morocco I Carry Home<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">I experienced Morocco as an exceptionally hospitable country. Of course, medinas require attention, and there are lanes I would not enter without knowing the area. My fondness for wandering does not mean every passage is a good choice at any hour. With people who know the city, the experience becomes much more relaxed and rewarding. I especially want to mention my friend, brother and guide <strong>Mustafa<\/strong>, who organised the entire journey. His knowledge of the country and its people helped me feel safe and open to the encounters that give travel meaning. In Fez, <strong>Muhamed\u2019s<\/strong> knowledge helped us understand the city we had entered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">This concludes my Moroccan series. I carry home the view of Fez from the fortress, narrow passages, Hamid\u2019s workshop and the taste of lunch after walking. But when someone asks what people in Morocco are like, I know which story I will tell: the young man who came for his bread and shared it with a curious stranger. I lost my way in the medina. Beside that oven, I found the reason I wanted to share the whole journey with others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><small>Area figures: <a href=\"https:\/\/whc.unesco.org\/en\/list\/0170\/maps\/\">UNESCO, Medina of Fez<\/a>. The population figure refers to the administrative F\u00e8s-M\u00e9dina district in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hcp.ma\/region-fes\/Population-legale-de-la-region-Fes-Meknes-RGPH-2024_a17.html\">2024 HCP census<\/a>; its boundaries differ from those of the UNESCO property.<\/small><\/p>\n<p><!-- maroko-mustafa-start --><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"A Moroccan Adventure with Mustafa\" style=\"box-sizing:border-box;background:#252e28;color:#f6f1e7;border-left:4px solid #a06b49;padding:clamp(24px,4vw,42px);margin:3em clamp(-28px,-3vw,-12px);\">\n<p class=\"translation-block\" style=\"color:#d8b391!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:.18em;font-weight:700;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 22px;text-transform:uppercase;\">The People Who Make a Journey Memorable<\/p>\n<div style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:28px;align-items:center;\">\n<figure style=\"flex:1 1 260px;max-width:320px;margin:0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-248433.png\" alt=\"With our guide Mustafa in front of A\u00eft Ben Haddou in Morocco\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"936\" height=\"1104\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:3px;\"\/><figcaption style=\"color:#d8b391!important;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5;margin-top:10px;\">With Mustafa, my Moroccan brother and guide.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 260px;min-width:0;\">\n<h2 style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important;font-size:clamp(27px,3.5vw,38px);line-height:1.2;margin:0 0 20px;\">Thank You, Mustafa<\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\" style=\"color:#e8e4d9!important;font-size:18px;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 18px;\">All credit for this adventure goes to my Moroccan brother and guide <strong style=\"color:#f6f1e7!important\">Mustafa<\/strong>, who opened the doors of his country to me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\" style=\"color:#e8e4d9!important;font-size:18px;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 24px;\">Discover this fascinating country with us.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gremotours.hr\/tour\/maroko-kraljevska-tura\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%;background:#d8b391;color:#252e28!important;border:1px solid #d8b391;padding:14px 20px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.5;text-decoration:none;\">Travel to Morocco with Us \u2197<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\" style=\"color:#d8b391!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:1.5;margin:12px 0 0;\">Itinerary and Information \u00b7 Gremo Tours<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><!-- maroko-mustafa-end --><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The final instalment of Seven Days in Morocco: the medina of Fez, Mohammed, Hamid on Seffarine Square, tanneries and an unexpected gift of bread.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2,25],"tags":[],"knjiga":[],"zemlja":[36],"lokacija":[53],"class_list":["post-18464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maroko","category-price-s-puta","category-putopisi","zemlja-maroko","lokacija-fez"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18464"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18576,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18464\/revisions\/18576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18464"},{"taxonomy":"knjiga","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knjiga?post=18464"},{"taxonomy":"zemlja","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zemlja?post=18464"},{"taxonomy":"lokacija","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slavenvujic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lokacija?post=18464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}