Morocco has a many centuries old tradition of making pottery. You’ll see ceramics sold throughout the country, at virtually every shop that sells souvenirs.
One of our stops in Fes was at Art Naji, a high end pottery and mosaic factory run by the Fakhari family for almost 100 years. We were to tour the factory and would then be given the chance to purchase items that we could take with us or which could be shipped to our homes. The tour is like many you’ll be taken on when abroad, giving you some information on the production of a product, then trying to sell you relatively pricey merchandise (and your guide getting a healthy kick-back on everything you buy). I found this tour quite interesting and the items produced of high quality and beauty, so I thought I’d share it with you.
As we walked into the factory courtyard we encountered drying ceramic bowls, teapots, cups and vases. Sun-drying is an effective way to remove most of the moisture from clay before it is kilned.
It was fascinating to see these master craftsmen spin the clay and mold it into various items. Their eye is so precise that they can make duplicates of an item which are within a millimeter of each other in size. And they work quickly.
We then moved on to a portion of the factory where tile pieces were incorporated into the final ceramic item. This is slow painstaking work that requires careful fitting of small tile pieces onto the surface of the item being produced.
Last stops are a showroom and gift shop, where you can see the beautiful finished items and have a chance to purchase some of them.
The artistry is truly impressive and the final products very beautiful. I resisted the temptation to buy at this shop, instead later purchasing some ceramic items at a community cooperative in a smaller city; I believe this way more of the money gets into the hands of the people actually doing the work, instead of the business owners. But that’s a story for a different day.
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It is such beautiful and intricate art. Excellent post.
Thanks, Marilyn!