According to the legend of the foundation of Fez in Morocco, which can be found in better tourist guides, a golden axe, or fas, was unearthed during the excavation of the city’s foundations in 799. This helped settle the form of human sacrifice required to appease the spirit of the place. A pair of Persian exiles, or Fars, were buried alive at each gate. The city was called Fez and its citizens Fassi. What a remarkable trust in the revelatory power of language!