Old photographic treasures in Fez

Amidst the plethora of extraordinary objects in the souqs of Fez there are some occasional rare treasures. Some valuable, others simply strange. One amulet with ancient Persian script turns out to be a truly collectable "museum quality" piece of jewellery, the next a fake knock-up from China. Rugs, carvings, ceramics and bric-a-brac are on display everywhere you go. Often what attracts the eye is not of great monetary value, but rather quirky or fun.

Of course one person's "collectable" can be the next person's "junk". Take photographs for example. Why would anyone want to spend money buying faded, damaged old photographs? Well, they do. And in Fez such things surface from time to time.

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Yesterday we came across an avid collector who had just discovered a collection of six poster sized black and white photographs that had originally graced the walls of the Hotel El Minzeh in Tangier.

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The two we have show you are in reasonable condition. The first is of a group of musicians and the other of a "fantasia" held ( we think) in the hills outside Fez some time early last century. And here is the good news - there are a lot more photographs and other treasures still out there in the souqs, if only you can find them.


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