Pits, pots and pigeons: a new anthropological archaeology project about Tanners in Marrakech

Marrakech, embedded in the Haouz Plain north of the High Atlas, was founded by the Almoravids in the XIth century. With the city’s flourishing political, cultural and economic development from the XIth/XIIth century onwards, a neighbourhood of tanneries was established in the eastern part of the medina, still existing today. The artisanal transformation of raw animal skins into high-quality leather and its processing into various products has thus represented an important cultural heritage for almost a millennium. A new research project ‘dbagh’ sheds light on this complex topic from an anthropological and archaeological perspective. The focus is on precise documentation of the ‘traditional’ tanners’ quarter in order to document the tacit knowledge handed down over generations, as well as the material culture and structures. In addition, a little-known area of small tanneries to the north of the medina will be analysed.