DEPARTURES TRAVEL
DEPARTURES TRAVEL MOROCCAN HIDEAWAY 24 Piece by piece, tile by tile, sister and brother Ghita and Nacer Tazi are breathing new life into a remarkable 14th-century palace in Fez. by Nicola Chilton A Family Matter GHITA TAZI STRIDES across the construction site of the Palais de Fès’s new rooms in a white trouser suit and Gucci loafers followed by Sky, her 18-month-old rescue dog, who snuffles among the building materials. She cuts a stylish yet slightly incongruous figure here, surrounded by planks of wood, plaster dust and the soaring walls of this handsome courtyard, yet she’s completely at home, pointing out where the new pool will be and how the room layout will work, showering Sky with compliments all the while. Tazi co-owns Palais de Fès, located on the edge of Fez’s meandering medina, with her brother, Nacer. The siblings inherited the family business when their father, Azzeddine Tazi, passed away during the Covid pandemic, and are now Palais de Fès’s majestic lobby working to add ten new suites to the 14th-century palace and to return the spaces – which teem with local craftsmen – to their former glory. The detail of the craftsmanship is extraordinary – some of the plaster carvings date back to 1308, according to an inscription on one of the walls – and when Tazi speaks about the work they’re doing here, it’s with genuine, and hard-earned, passion. The Tazi name has long been synonymous with hospitality in Fez. Ghita and Nacer’s father opened the first upscale Moroccan restaurant, the original Palais de Fès, in the medina in 1980. It was completely destroyed by a fire in 1998, something Ghita Tazi calls a “blessing in disguise” as it allowed her father to reopen in the building ADRIEN ANNE
© PALAIS DE FÈS that houses the hotel today. The restaurant is still very much the property’s heart, offering a menu that hasn’t changed in 40 years, cooked by a team of women to create flavours that are “the same as our grandparents ate”, says Tazi. Initially, it was thought that the hotel spanned a collection of smaller palaces that had been acquired by Tazi’s father over the years, and subsequently connected. But that proved not to be the case. “We discovered that what we thought were solid walls were actually made of plaster,” says Tazi. When they broke through one of them, they discovered exquisite artisanal work including a handsome archway, plaster carvings and mosaics. “There’s no history book that tells the story of the house, so we started asking people who used to own parts of it, and we realised that it was once one estate,” says Tazi. The building was split into separate units as different family members inherited parts of it. “By pure luck, we realised and reinstated the entire estate,” says Tazi. “It was split by descendants of the former owners, and my brother and I, as descendants of another owner, have brought it back together. We feel blessed to have had the chance to do this.” The restoration and addition of new suites is being undertaken using the same techniques that the artisans of Fez have used for centuries, with skills passed down from generation to generation. The intricate wall mosaics are made of tiles called zellij, cut by hand by Abdelatif Hayani in his workshop on the ground floor of the house. It’s easy to locate – just listen for the clink of hammer on tile as he cuts and shapes the tiny fragments that form the base of the palais’s colourful walls. To complete the mosaics of a house this size can take up to 20 years. “Our zellij master told me that back in the day, it would take a zellij artisan so long to complete a house that he’d practically become family and would often end up marrying one of the daughters,” says Tazi. The artisans were also afraid of the evil eye, and would often cover their works in progress so that no one could see them until completion. Alongside the mosaic artisans, a team of 20 master plasterers is hard at work on the restoration. Each has a different role, the younger ones working on simpler sections and the most experienced being responsible for the intricate patterns that are carved directly into the walls with sharp metal implements. Some have charcoal templates rubbed onto the wall to follow; others are done completely freehand. In addition to the ten new suites, Tazi is also working to add a spa with three treatment rooms and a traditional hammam, as well as an épicerie, new spaces around the central courtyard and its large fountain, and a pool. More than a hotel, the project is described by Tazi as a tribute to her father, and the Tazi siblings are focused on treating the palais with the respect it deserves, ensuring that the restoration is done with care and without cutting corners. “I feel honoured to be able to do this,” says Tazi. “It’s a piece of history, and it’s a legacy that we’re going to leave. I hope that one day people will talk about it with pride.” palais-de-fes.com Above: an elegantly presented snack for the senses at the palais; below: the elaborate interior of the threebedroom Sultana Private Riad 25 DEPARTURES
