The Chouara Tannery, The Largest And One Of The Oldest In Fes, Morocco. Editorial Image

Pictured is the Chouara Tannery, the largest and one of the oldest in Fes, Morocco. Hides of cows, sheep, goats and camels are first soaked in a series of white liquids in stone vats for two to three days. Then they are soaked in the dyeing solutions and dried under the sun. The resulting leather is sold to other craftsmen who use it to produce Morocco`s famed high quality leather goods which are shipped around the world. The entire leather production process comprises manual labor only and involves no modern machinery, and has retained methods unchanged since medieval times. The tannery has probably been in existence since the 9th century.