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A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco
A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco
A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco
Ebook328 pages5 hours

A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco

By Suzanna Clarke

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About this ebook

The Medina -- the Old City -- of Fez is the best-preserved, medieval walled city in the world. Inside this vibrant Moroccan community, internet cafes and mobile phones coexist with a maze of donkey-trod alleyways, thousand-year-old sewer systems, and Arab-style houses, gorgeous with intricate, if often shabby, mosaic work.

While vacationing in Morocco, Suzanna Clarke and her husband, Sandy, are inspired to buy a dilapidated, centuries-old riad in Fez with the aim of restoring it to its original splendor, using only traditional craftsmen and handmade materials. So begins a remarkable adventure that is bewildering, at times hilarious, and ultimately immensely rewarding.

A House in Fez chronicles their meticulous restoration, but it is also a journey into Moroccan customs and lore and a window into the lives of its people as friendships blossom. When the riad is finally returned to its former glory, Suzanna finds she has not just restored an old house, but also her soul.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPocket Books
Release dateDec 1, 2009
ISBN9781416545859
A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco
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Author

Suzanna Clarke

Born in New Zealand, Suzanna Clarke grew up in several parts of Australia. In her twenties she lived in a Welsh commune, an Amsterdam squat and a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. She has worked as a photojournalist for more than two decades and is the arts director of The Daily Mail in Brisbane. Her husband, Sandy, is a radio broadcaster who now spends most of his time in Fez. Their blog is riadzany.blogspot.com.

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Reviews for A House in Fez

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  • 3/5
    Interesting into Moroccan culture with easy history thrown in.
  • 4/5
    I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see Fez through the eyes of this Australian journalist who bought an old house there and renovated it. On the other hand, the author only describes interactions with officials and workers, not many of the ordinary people, and most of the action happens in the house rather than around the city. There are a few brief side trips to interesting places in the area, but almost all with other foreigners. Still, the story of working on a traditional Moroccan house was neat.
  • 3/5
    Frankly, I think she's crazy: who in their right mind would buy a house in a foreign country with utterly foreign language and culture, then try to renovate it? But she tells the story of all the headaches and heartaches that invited very well.
  • 4/5
    Interesting story about a couple of Australian's who renovate (authentically) a house in Fez. Very interesting to hear about the daily trials that they endured and how they remained very positive throughout the renovating period
  • 4/5
    A Restoration of Morocco HeritageSuzanna Clarke's memoir entitled A House in Fez: Building A Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco, is not just the story of her restoring a three hundred year old house. I found her tale to be a delightful and insightful book about everything and everyone