I did a bit of research on the net and combined with our meetings with the owners and neighbours this is about the best picture I can make of the history of the place, which used to be the offices of the legal advisor to the Pasha of Fez..
The Tazis’ it seems were one of the largest and most important families in Fez, described in 1908 by the New York Times as being the Rothschilds of Morocco...yes son, that’s really rich...with an estimated family fortune at that time of 50 – 100,000,000 pesatas. To accrue this wealth the family were able to boast members who were; owners of the biggest silk factory in Fez; a Chief Collector of Taxes and Principle Loan Agent in Fez, (almost certainly not a very well liked chap this one..please son...don’t end up working for the tax office!!; another member was the “Professor of Billiards and Automobiles” and another was Minister of Finance and was responsible for the recoining of the Moorish Currency, which of itself made the Tazi family a tidy sum.
However the early 20th century saw the family’s fortune decline, along with that of Fez, so the house became partitioned and sold off. It was eventually bought by two brothers of the Slaoui family, who had made their money as butchers and thus it became known locally as Dar Slaoui. The two brothers who bought the house then married two sisters and they all moved in to the one house.
In time even this relatively well off family hit hard times and when we bought the house the remainder of the Slaoui family who were living here, were subletting rooms to approximately 7 other families. Both brothers had by then died and the remaining wife was old and no longer wanted to live in an increasingly crumbling house in the medina, prefering rather to move to the new town. Her sons also wanted money to get married and thus they decided to sell.
Infact what we have bought, even though it is fairly large with 2 salons, 4 bedrooms, 2 mezrias (appartments), 2 terraces a large central fountain in the lower courtyard and spectacular views over the medina of Fez), was actually only part of an even bigger palace that includes approximately 4 other surrounding houses. In their heyday these were all connected, and you can see doorways and internal windows that have been covered or bricked up, as we take back the plaster in the first part of the build.
The Tazis’ it seems were one of the largest and most important families in Fez, described in 1908 by the New York Times as being the Rothschilds of Morocco...yes son, that’s really rich...with an estimated family fortune at that time of 50 – 100,000,000 pesatas. To accrue this wealth the family were able to boast members who were; owners of the biggest silk factory in Fez; a Chief Collector of Taxes and Principle Loan Agent in Fez, (almost certainly not a very well liked chap this one..please son...don’t end up working for the tax office!!; another member was the “Professor of Billiards and Automobiles” and another was Minister of Finance and was responsible for the recoining of the Moorish Currency, which of itself made the Tazi family a tidy sum.
However the early 20th century saw the family’s fortune decline, along with that of Fez, so the house became partitioned and sold off. It was eventually bought by two brothers of the Slaoui family, who had made their money as butchers and thus it became known locally as Dar Slaoui. The two brothers who bought the house then married two sisters and they all moved in to the one house.
In time even this relatively well off family hit hard times and when we bought the house the remainder of the Slaoui family who were living here, were subletting rooms to approximately 7 other families. Both brothers had by then died and the remaining wife was old and no longer wanted to live in an increasingly crumbling house in the medina, prefering rather to move to the new town. Her sons also wanted money to get married and thus they decided to sell.
Infact what we have bought, even though it is fairly large with 2 salons, 4 bedrooms, 2 mezrias (appartments), 2 terraces a large central fountain in the lower courtyard and spectacular views over the medina of Fez), was actually only part of an even bigger palace that includes approximately 4 other surrounding houses. In their heyday these were all connected, and you can see doorways and internal windows that have been covered or bricked up, as we take back the plaster in the first part of the build.
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