Colourful pottery

in the souk at Meknes where we visited the granary and stables of the dastardly Moulay-Ismail (tyrannical ruler from 1672 to 1727). He considered himself a friend of Louis X1V and contemplated building himself gardens like those at Versailles. Instead he built himself an enormous fortress with a huge granary to feed himself and his thousands of soldiers and next door stables for 12,000 military horses.  25,000 slaves from Africa and Europe were made to build until they were too weak or died when their bodies would be used in the walls and mortar.  Apparently his courtiers met him with trembling bodies each morning and waited to be called into his presence.  There, depending on Moulay-Ismail’s humour, or perhaps the colour of his clothes they awaited his wishes.  If he was wearing yellow it was usually his killing colour.  Now we are in Fez where we had the obligatory visit to a pottery.  Here they make the most incredible mosaics – men were chipping away at shapes roughly cut from glazed tiles and others were using the pieces (upside down) to make table tops or fountains or even fireplaces. Tagines and crockery were also being made and decorative silver wires were being welded to huge urns and even to some of the smaller objects but I resisted attempts to purchase.  We travelled across the Middle Atlas plains from Rabat and are now staying in Fez for 3 nights