Safi

The potters’ hill rises above the town, where wood fired kilns have been running since the sixteenth century. The clay is dug locally, red and dense, thrown then fired twice for the glaze. Much of the pottery sold across the country starts here.

Safi is a working town, facing the ocean and rooted in clay. Visitors rarely stop, potters have always been here.

The potters' hill rises above the medina. Wood fired kilns have run there since the sixteenth century, and smoke climbs above the town when a firing begins. A kiln is lit on Monday and cools by Thursday.

The clay is dug locally, red and dense. It is thrown, dried, fired once, glazed by brush, then fired again. A piece spends three weeks in hand before it is sold.

The sardine port was once the largest in the world. It still works, and the morning auctions are worth the early start.

The town also has its argan and black soap cooperatives, where cracking is done with a stone, one kernel at a time. It is slow, and it shows in the product.