Leather and craftsmanship

Morocco leather guide

From the tanneries of Fes to the leather souks of Marrakech: what to buy, how it is made, how to check the quality, what to pay and how to bargain.

The Chouara tannery, Fes. Photograph: Uwe Brodrecht, CC BY-SA 2.0

Babouches: from 80 MAD
Pouf, unstuffed: from 350 MAD
Jacket: from 1,500 MAD
Bargaining: Open at about a third

Morocco’s leather tradition

Fair souk prices start at about 80 MAD for plain babouches, 350 MAD for an unstuffed pouf and 1,500 MAD for a jacket. Fes has the widest choice, beside the tanneries where the leather is made.

Fes has tanned leather for centuries: one of its tanneries, Sidi Moussa, is recorded in the early 12th century. At the Chouara tannery hides are still treaded in stone vats and dyed by hand, in colours traditionally taken from poppy, indigo, henna and saffron.

The goods range from babouches to hand-stitched poufs, bags, belts, jackets and bound journals. Knowing how the leather is made, and how to judge it, is the best protection against overpaying.

The tanneries of Fes

The three best known, all inside the medina.

Chouara: The largest and best knownIn the heart of the Fes el-Bali medina. Rows of stone vats of lime, softening liquor and dye are worked by hand, and the leather shops around the yard have terraces looking down on it. Its founding date is unknown. Enter through one of the shops; go in the morning, when the tanners are busiest.
Sidi Moussa: Smaller, fewer visitorsA tannery recorded in Fes since the early 12th century, deeper in the medina and less visited than Chouara. Ask a shopkeeper nearby for the way in.
Ain Azliten: In the north of the medinaCreated at the end of the 18th century, it sees few visitors and has no tourist infrastructure; a local guide helps to find the way in.

What to buy

Babouches (leather slippers)

From 80 MAD plain to 400 MAD embroidered

Morocco’s classic leather slippers, with a pointed or rounded toe. Men’s are usually plain, in earth tones; women’s come in every colour, with embroidery, sequins or painted designs. Soft goat or sheep leather on a flat leather sole, they shape themselves to your feet.

Check: Buy a half-size larger than normal, as the leather stretches. Check that the sole is stitched, not glued.

Poufs

From 350 MAD unstuffed to 800 MAD stuffed

Round floor cushions hand-stitched from panels of dyed goat leather, often embossed or embroidered. Sold unstuffed so they pack flat; fill them at home with fibre or old clothes.

Check: Check that every seam is double-stitched. Metallic finishes can peel over time; plain dyed leather ages better.

Bags and totes

From 200 MAD small crossbody to 1,500 MAD large tote

From simple satchels to structured totes, bucket bags and clutches, in cow, goat or camel leather. The best are hand-stitched with brass hardware.

Check: Check the zip, the lining and the evenness of the stitching. Ask whether the leather is vegetable- or chrome-tanned, and pass on bags with a strong chemical smell.

Belts and wallets

From 100 MAD belt to 250 MAD hand-tooled wallet

Practical, inexpensive buys, often hand-tooled with geometric patterns. Belts are usually cow hide for strength; softer goat leather goes into purses and wallets.

Check: Bend a belt: good leather flexes smoothly without cracking. On wallets, card slots should be cleanly cut.

Jackets

From 1,500 MAD standard to 5,000 MAD made to measure

Lamb, goat and cow leather jackets in classic and contemporary cuts. Some workshops in the Fes and Marrakech medinas make jackets to measure.

Check: Made-to-measure needs fittings, so allow at least two days, and try the finished jacket on before you pay. Check the shoulder seams, the zip and the lining.

Book covers and journals

From 150 MAD small journal to 600 MAD gold-tooled cover

Leather bookbinding has a long history in Fes, where it served Qurans and scholarly texts. Covers are tooled with geometric patterns, sometimes in gold leaf; today the same craft makes journals and photo albums.

Check: Ask to see the binder at work.

Lamps and small pieces

From 120 MAD small item to 2,000 MAD lamp shade

Mirror frames, boxes, backgammon sets and lamp shades painted with henna designs, which glow when lit. Frames and small boxes are easy gifts to pack.

Check: A lamp shade should be translucent against the light, with even, detailed painting. Ask for it to be wrapped well.

How the leather is made

Soaking and cleaning
Raw hides, mostly cow, goat, sheep and camel, are soaked in the white vats in a mixture of water, quicklime and salt. This softens them and loosens hair and fat. Workers tread the hides by foot.
De-hairing and fleshing
Each hide is scraped by hand with a curved blade to remove the remaining hair, fat and tissue, then rinsed and wrung out. This step sets the thickness and smoothness of the finished leather.
Softening with pigeon droppings
Hides go into vats of pigeon droppings mixed with water. The ammonia softens them so they will take the dye. This is the source of the famous smell.
Tanning
Traditionally, hides were tanned in solutions of tannin-rich plant material such as tree bark. Vegetable-tanned leather is durable and darkens into a patina with age. Since the 19th century the Fes tanneries have also used chromium, which is faster.
Dyeing
The leather is dyed by hand in the round vats. The colours traditionally come from plants: poppy for red, indigo for blue, henna for orange, cedar wood for brown, mint for green and saffron for yellow. Chouara says it uses only natural dyes; other tanneries commonly use commercial ones.
Drying and finishing
Dyed hides dry in the sun on rooftops, slopes and frames around the tannery. Once dry, the leather is softened by hand and goes to the workshops of the medina to be cut and sewn.

A tanner sitting on the edge of the stone dye vats at the Chouara tannery in Fes — Dye vats, and the lime vats behind, at the Chouara tannery. Photograph: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0

Where to buy

Fes: The leather souk around ChouaraThe widest selection, close to where the leather is made. You can watch artisans stitching babouches, tooling book covers and sewing bags a few steps from the vats. See the tannery first to understand the craft, then compare prices in several shops.
Marrakech: Souk Smata and the leather workshopsSouk Smata, the babouche souk near Jemaa el-Fnaa, has a huge selection, with more contemporary designs than Fes. Starting prices are higher, and so is the room to negotiate: walk deeper into the souks for better prices. Fixed-price boutiques in Gueliz suit anyone who would rather not bargain.
Cooperatives: Fixed prices, no bargainingPrices are a little above the lowest souk prices, in exchange for fixed tags and, often, a chance to watch the work. Ask how the leather was tanned and who made the piece.

Shoppers in a covered souk in the Marrakech medina, with light falling through a slatted roof — Souk Semmarine, Marrakech. Photograph: DimiTalen, CC0

How to judge quality

Smell
Good: a natural, earthy smell, perhaps faintly woody on vegetable-tanned leather. Bad: a strong chemical, ammonia or plastic smell on a finished piece, which points to rushed finishing or synthetic material.
Stitching
Good: tight, consistent stitches with no loose threads; hand-stitching is slightly irregular but strong, and stress points such as bag handles and pouf panels are double-stitched. Bad: uneven spacing, fraying thread, single-stitched stress points, and above all glued seams.
Dye
Good: rich, slightly varied tones; a damp white cloth rubbed on the surface picks up little colour. Bad: heavy colour transfer, patchy coverage, or surface-only dye that shows a different colour when scratched.
Real or faux
Real leather warms to the touch, shows small imperfections and grain variation, absorbs a tiny drop of water, and has a fibrous cut edge. Faux leather stays cool, looks perfectly uniform, beads water, shows smooth plastic layers at the edge, and may crack or peel when bent.
Thickness and suppleness
Good leather is supple but has substance, with an even thickness across the piece. Avoid papery leather that tears, stiff leather that cracks when flexed, and pieces that are thick in one place and thin in another.
Hardware and finishing
Look for solid brass or metal fittings with some weight, zips that glide, cleanly trimmed edges and a neatly attached lining. Hollow fittings, sticking zips, visible glue and loose linings are all warning signs.

Price guide

Fair souk prices after bargaining.

Fair souk prices for Moroccan leather goods
Product	Fair souk price
Babouches, plain	From 80 MAD
Babouches, embroidered	From 200 MAD
Pouf, unstuffed	From 350 MAD
Crossbody bag, small	From 200 MAD
Tote, large	From 600 MAD
Belt, hand-tooled	From 100 MAD
Wallet or coin purse	From 80 MAD
Jacket, standard	From 1,500 MAD
Journal or book cover	From 150 MAD
Lamp shade, henna-painted	From 500 MAD

Starting prices after bargaining. Expect more in shops on the main tourist routes; cooperatives sell at fixed prices.

How to bargain

Look before you buy
Walk the whole leather souk first and note the asking prices for similar pieces. Knowing the range stops you overpaying at the first stall.
Open at about a third
Start your counter-offer at roughly a third of the asking price. The seller will act shocked; that is part of the exchange. Stay friendly and patient: bargaining is a social ritual, not a fight.
Show you know the product
Point out the stitching, the leather type and the construction. A seller who sees an informed buyer will adjust the price.
Be ready to walk away
Head for the door. If the seller lets you go, the price was near their minimum; if they call you back, there was room. Many deals close on the doorstep, and you can always come back.
Buy together
Negotiate babouches and a bag as one package rather than separately; sellers give a better price per item on a bigger sale.
Pick your moment
Mornings help, since the first sale of the day is considered good luck, and so do the last hours before closing. The midday rush is the worst time to ask for a discount.

Ethics and the environment

Water
Traditional tanning uses natural materials, but its wastewater pollutes the soil and rivers downstream when it is not treated.
Workers
Tannery work is hard: long hours standing in the vats, strong smells and exposure to chemicals.
Chrome
Chrome tanning is faster and cheaper, but chromium salts are toxic and damaging when disposed of carelessly.
What you can do
Ask how a piece was tanned, prefer vegetable-tanned leather, which ages well and biodegrades, and buy from cooperatives and workshops that can tell you where their leather comes from.

Questions

Moroccan leather: FAQs

Is it worth visiting the Fes tanneries?

Yes. The Chouara tannery in Fes is one of the sights of Morocco: rows of stone vats of dye and lime, seen from the terraces of the leather shops around it. Go in the morning, when the tanners are at work and the light is good. You will be handed a sprig of mint for the smell. The terraces are reached through the shops, which expect you to browse; a small tip to whoever shows you up is usual.

How much do leather goods cost in Morocco?

Prices vary by product and quality. Babouches (leather slippers) start from 80 MAD. Small leather bags start from 200 MAD. Leather poufs start from 350 MAD. Belts start from 100 MAD. Leather jackets start from 1,500 MAD. Always bargain in the souks: first asking prices are well above what sellers will accept.

How can I tell if Moroccan leather is genuine?

Genuine leather warms to your touch, has small natural imperfections and variations in the grain, and absorbs a tiny drop of water. Check the stitching for evenness and strength. The cut edge of real leather shows a fibrous texture rather than smooth plastic layers. Good leather is supple, not stiff or plasticky, and smells earthy.

What is the best leather product to buy in Morocco?

Babouches (traditional leather slippers) are the classic and most affordable buy. Leather poufs are popular for the home and pack flat when bought unstuffed. Crossbody bags and totes are well made for the price. Your choice depends on budget and luggage space; babouches and wallets are the easiest to pack.

Why does Moroccan leather smell?

Traditional tanning uses pigeon droppings, cow urine, quicklime and plant material, which make a strong smell during production. Finished goods should not smell unpleasant. A lingering chemical or ammonia smell on a finished product points to poor finishing or rushed processing. Well-made leather smells earthy, not foul.

Where is the best place to buy leather in Morocco?

Fes, home of the Chouara tannery and many leather workshops, has the widest choice, in the leather souk around the tannery. Marrakech has a larger tourist market with more contemporary designs. Cooperatives sell at fixed prices. Choose by what matters most: choice, price, or knowing how the goods were made.

How do I bargain for leather goods in Morocco?

Compare prices at several shops before committing, then open your counter-offer at about a third of the asking price. Be ready to walk away: it is the strongest move you have. Do not show too much enthusiasm for one piece. Buying several items together earns a better price per item. Morning can help, since the first sale of the day is considered good luck.

Is Moroccan leather ethically produced?

It varies. Traditional tanning uses natural materials, but the work is hard and the wastewater can pollute rivers downstream. Since the 19th century the Fes tanneries have also used chromium, which speeds tanning but is toxic if handled badly. Ask how the leather was tanned, prefer vegetable-tanned leather, and buy from cooperatives or workshops that will tell you where their leather comes from.