Place Seffarine (Coppersmiths' Square)

Place Seffarine, the Coppersmiths' Square, is a small open square in Fès el-Bali, the medina of Fès in Morocco's Fès-Meknès region, near the Qarawiyyin mosque and university complex. It is the working centre of the city's copper trade, and the sound of hammers striking metal is the defining feature of the place. Craftsmen sit in open-fronted workshops around the square beating sheets of copper into cookware, tagines, teapots, trays, lanterns and etched bowls, and the finished pieces are displayed in the same shops. This is what separates it from generic souvenir shopping: much of the work is made on the spot, so buyers can watch the process and judge the finish. Quality ranges from carefully hand-beaten and engraved pieces to cheaper, machine-pressed items sold alongside them. To spot mass-produced pieces, shoppers check for even, clean welds, regular engraving and uniform thickness, since hand-beaten copper shows slight irregularities and tool marks. Copper is typically priced by weight and by the amount of decoration, and large pieces such as cooking pots or big trays are the most expensive. Bargaining is expected, and a calm negotiation after examining several items usually produces a fair price. Payment is mostly in Moroccan dirhams cash, with a few shops accepting cards, and no tax refund applies at this scale of purchase. Large items are heavy, so shops can often arrange shipping, but packing and costs should be agreed in advance. The square is lively and loud during working hours, with a rhythm of hammering that grows busy in the late morning. A small number of cafés and snack stalls are in the surrounding lanes, as the square itself has no dining area. Must-visit corners include the stairs overlooking the square, the workshops where engraving is done, and the shops selling polished tagines and teapots.