A House in Fez documents Australian writer and photographer Suzanna Clarke’s experience restoring and renovating a newly purchased home, Riad Zany, in the ancient medina of Fez, Morocco. Throughout the months spent purchasing materials, hiring craftsmen, and overseeing both the riad’s major construction and intricate details, Clarke adjusts to life outside of the home. She writes about the intricacies of Moroccan culture and her adjustment to new social circles and customs. While the bulk of her story focuses on the logistics of restoring her and partner Sandy’s newly purchased riad in Fez to its historical splendor, she takes the time to emphasize the importance of integrating Moroccan culture into her home and life, choosing to restore the home in keeping with traditional Moroccan architectural elements. Her message of preserving and appreciating Moroccan culture in Fez echoes throughout her friendships and daily life. Although Clarke’s message is admirable, her success at accurately portraying aspects of Moroccan culture is unclear, due to her perspective as an outsider and newcomer in Morocco.
Clarke’s argument to restore homes in Fez traditionally is clearly an important priority; however, her strategy of using foreign money to oversee a process unfamiliar to herself is troubling, even more so when considering the many people who many do the same. Clarke seems to view herself as a savior of sorts to Riad Zany, implying that without her and Sandy’s funding and dedication, the home would surely have fallen to ruin. This perspective struck me as somewhat Orientalist, as it is dismissive of restoration efforts within the country. She also also expresses concern for the damage done to Moroccan culture by other “expats” or foreign dwellers in Fez. However, she seems to include herself in this category only partially, and it is unclear why she excludes herself from this group.
In addition, Clarke occasionally brushes over unfamiliar elements of Moroccan culture without including local perspective on specific events. For example, while at a baby shower with friend Ayisha, Clarke describes the women as “flirting” (245) with each other through dance, but does not include any thoughts from Ayisha or the other women on the background of this tradition or how their descriptions of the dance may vary from her own. Fortunately, Clarke tends to balance out these shortcomings with passages of deep appreciation for Moroccan culture and reflections on the cultural elements in Morocco and Fez which continuously intrigue her. In fact, some of the strongest elements of the book focus on Clarke’s interactions with people in Fez. These include conversations between Clarke and workers or friends, explanations of various beliefs or traditions, and simply descriptions of the Medina itself.
Although Clarke treads on difficult cultural, political, and economic territory, she grapples with these moral dilemmas in a transparent way. She questions aloud whether her intentions in renovating the house and building a life in Fez cause more harm than good to the city, and what sort of role she should play. Clarke acknowledges her inability to fully understand the city of Fez and seeks to include local perspective on the renovations and to involve local craftspeople in order to maintain the integrity of the project. Her background is much different than the Fassi people, and it is clear that she aims to discuss this disconnect and inability to achieve perfection, rather than to ignore its presence. I appreciated this recognition, as it leaves room for conversation and improvement upon these processes in the future.
Finally, A House in Fez offers substantial background on life in Fez as well as the important history of architecture and craftsmanship used to restore the house. Much of the book focuses on the logistical aspects of buying and restoring the riad, and Clarke tells the story of each new material brought into the house- its historical origin, where she could purchase it in the medina, and what craftsmanship was necessary for its integration. This detail gives credit to the important steps in restoring traditional elements, but can sometimes become tedious to read. Many characters and small plots come into play, but many are left unresolved. I would’ve liked to see some follow-up information about some of the key characters, like Ayisha, and some of the objects that came and went from the spotlight, like the beautiful pair of doors Clarke discovers.
While A House in Fez does not offer a full picture of life in the medina of Fez, the account provides potential visitors with useful information about the city and and develops a compelling argument for home restoration in Fez, with the added disclaimer that not all such work might serve to benefit the medina. Like Clarke, I am an outsider to Moroccan culture, and don’t know the best way to go about preserving historical architecture, or any other aspects of Moroccan life. For the past two years, I have taken classes on politics, culture, and the Arabic language, but had never traveled to the region. In anticipation of coming to Morocco and spending three weeks in the Fez Medina, reading A House in Fez and considering Clarke’s perspectives helped me to reflect upon the implications of my presence, and my role within the city. I would recommend this book to anyone planning to visit Fez, or anyone with an interest in culture or architecture. Clarke provides a beautiful and intriguing description of the city, leaving plenty of room for any potential traveler to explore the Fez for themselves.
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