Data Module 076 — Craft & Industrial Heritage

The
Tanneries

Fez. Chouara. 1,200 stone basins. Pigeon dung, quicklime, poppy, indigo. No machinery. No shortcuts. The same hands, the same method, for nine hundred years.

~900Years of continuous operation

1,200Stone basins at Chouara

3Surviving tanneries of 86

30Days per hide

001 — The Process

Six Steps. Thirty Days.

Every hide passes through the same sequence. Click any step to hold.

The Soak

2–3 days

Raw hides — cow, sheep, goat, camel — are submerged in rectangular stone vats filled with a mixture of cow urine, quicklime, salt, and water. The alkaline solution loosens hair, dissolves fat, and halts decomposition. The smell starts here.

002 — The Palette

Seven Natural Dyes

No synthetic pigments. Every colour comes from a plant, a flower, or a bark. The palette has not changed.

Red

Poppy flower

Deep crimson. Used for bags, poufs, decorative leather.

Blue

Indigo

Imported historically from sub-Saharan trade routes. Deep and resistant to fading.

Yellow

Saffron / Turmeric

Saffron for premium yellow. Turmeric as the affordable alternative. Golden tones.

Orange

Henna

The warm orange that defines Moroccan leather. Same plant used for body art.

Green

Mint

Less common. Subtle. The same mint given to visitors to mask the smell.

Brown

Cedarwood bark

Atlas cedar. Deep warm brown. Used for bookbindings, belts, formal goods.

Gold

Pomegranate rinds

The canary-gold of babouche slippers. Soaked pomegranate peels yield a rich golden hue.

The men stand thigh-deep in colour, agitating the hides by hand. Human washing machines. The work never stops.

200 men work at Chouara. Some began as apprentices at 13.

003 — The Three Survivors

86 Became 3

The Almohads counted 86 tanning workshops. The Marinids counted 100. Today three survive, operating as cooperatives.

004 — The Timeline

Nine Centuries

c. 9th C

Local tradition dates Chouara and Sidi Moussa tanneries to the founding of Fez by Idris II. Tanning linked to the city from its beginning.

11th C

Historical records confirm active tanneries in Fez. Leather becomes a major export. Products reach markets across the Islamic world.

12th–13th C

Al-Jazna'i records the Almohads counted 86 tanning workshops in Fez. Leather exported as far as Baghdad. Fez becomes the leather capital of the western Islamic world.

c. 1325

Marinid period. Around 100 tanning workshops operating. The craft is at its medieval peak. Guilds structure the trade.

16th C

Morocco leather crosses the Strait of Gibraltar. By Shakespeare's era, Moroccan goatskin — "Morocco leather" — becomes the premium choice for European bookbindings.

18th C

Ain Azliten Tannery created in northern Fez. Third and youngest of the surviving three. Specialises in babouche slippers.

19th C

Chromium introduced to accelerate tanning. Faster but toxic. The beginning of contamination that persists for two centuries.

2009

Aziza Chaouni launches Fez River rehabilitation project. Proposal to relocate Chouara. Chromium-III deposits found in soil beneath the tannery. Workers report skin cancer and respiratory illness. Holcim Foundation Awards Gold for the project.

2015

Sidi Moussa Tannery renovated. Rehabilitation programmes launched: restoration, "real leather" quality mark, acquisition of technical equipment. Tanneries remain in place.

Present

Three tanneries survive from 86. They operate as large-scale cooperatives. More than 300 families employed. International brands source leather from Fez. The same techniques, the same vats, the same hands.

005 — What the Leather Becomes

Six Products

Babouches

بلغة

Pointed-toe leather slippers. Canary-gold from pomegranate rinds is the classic. Ain Azliten tannery specialises in these. Worn daily by millions. Exported worldwide.

Bags & Satchels

شكارة

Handbags, shoulder bags, satchels, messenger bags. Goatskin absorbs dye deeply — the saturated colours of Moroccan leather. International brands source from Fez cooperatives.

Poufs

بوف

Round leather floor cushions, hand-stitched. Sold stuffed or flat (buyer fills at home). Available in every dye colour. The product that launched Moroccan leather into Western interior design.

Jackets & Coats

جاكيطة

Leather outerwear. Tailored in medina workshops from tannery leather. Goatskin for flexibility. Cowhide for structure. The quality varies enormously — provenance matters.

Bookbindings

تجليد

Morocco leather has been the premium choice for European bookbinding since the 16th century. Goatskin's visible grain and durability allow hand-tooled patterns, gold stamping, and jewels. Antiquarian Morocco leather bindings remain the most sought-after.

Belts, Wallets, Gloves

حزام / محفظة

Smaller goods. High margin. The everyday products that keep the economy running between tourist seasons.

006 — Key Numbers

The Data

tanning workshops

Counted by al-Jazna'i under the Almohads (12th–13th century). ~100 under the Marinids. Three survive today: Chouara, Sidi Moussa, Ain Azliten.

500

master craftsmen

Working daily at Chouara alone. 1,200 stone basins. 200 men in the vats. Some families have tanned leather for generations.

300+

families employed

Across the three tanneries, now operating as large-scale cooperatives with their own administration. Auction hides in the medina like a fish market.

days per hide

The full process: soak, scrape, soften, dye, dry, finish. No machinery at any stage. The same duration as in the 11th century.

days per dye cycle

Every 25 days, the dyes lose potency and the vats are refreshed. Chemical-laden water from hundreds of vats is drained into the Oued Fes each month.

machines

The entire production process is manual. No modern machinery. No shortcuts. The method has not changed since medieval Fez.

007 — Sources

TheTanneries