Tanneries of Bab Debbagh

The working tanneries at Bab Debbagh are older and less visited than their Fes equivalent — which means the experience is less mediated. The process is unchanged since the 11th century: hides soaked in pigeon dung to strip the hair, then pressed into vats of natural dye. The smell is the proof of authenticity. The viewing terraces belong to the leather merchants whose workshops surround them.