Chouara Tannery

[6] Historical sources show that the tanneries were a major industry even in the city's early history and tied to a large part of its economy.

The most notable feature of Chouara and the other local tanneries is the numerous stone vats filled with different colored dyes and white liquids.

The entire leather production process comprises manual labor only and involves no modern machinery, and has retained methods unchanged since medieval times.

[10][11] Certain types of chromium are toxic and the tanneries also produce various other organic wastes, which has resulted in large amounts of pollution contaminating the soil and the rivers downstream from them.

[12][10][13] Tannery workers and other locals have long complained of adverse health effects, with the most serious cases leading to cancer and early deaths.

[11][14][10] In the 21st century a widescale project led by Aziza Chaouni was launched to rehabilitate the Fez River by improving its urban environment and attempting to control the amount of pollution.