Today it is part of the Archdiocese of Rabat, and it was most recently restored in 2005. The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, the only Catholic church in Fez, was established in 1919 or 1920, during the French colonial period. Elsewhere, the Jewish quarter (Mellah) is the site of the 17th-century Al-Fassiyin Synagogue and Ibn Danan Synagogue, as well multiple other lesser-known synagogues, though none of them are functioning today. The very oldest mosques of the city, dating back to its first years, were the Mosque of the Sharifs (or Shurafa Mosque) and the Mosque of the Sheikhs (or al-Anouar Mosque); however, they no longer exist in their original form.
Hudson Williams’ friends explain missing context as ‘disturbing’ pictures from school surface
Inside the park is a “Bird Garden” which hosts more than thirty species of birds, local and imported, such as peacocks, parrots, and the North African ostrich. The city’s main museums are housed in historic monuments mentioned above, including the Nejjarine Museum, the Dar Batha Museum, and the Arms Museum in Borj Nord. Fez, along with Cordoba, was one of the centers of a Jewish intellectual and cultural renaissance that took place in the 10th and 11th centuries in Morocco and al-Andalus. Fez has preserved many of its historic hammams (public bathhouses in the Muslim world) which continue to be used by local people.
Explore the city’s artisanal heritage on a scavenger hunt
The city’s water supply, sewage, and electricity networks are managed by the Régie de distribution d’eau et d’électricité de Fès (lit. transl. Water and Electricity Distribution Authority of Fez). The main intercity bus terminal (or gare routière) is located just north of Bab Mahrouk, on the outskirts of the old medina, although CTM also operates a terminal off Boulevard Mohammed V in the Ville Nouvelle. The city’s main train station, operated by ONCF, is located a short distance from the downtown area of the Ville Nouvelle and is connected to the rail lines running east to Oujda and west to Tangier and Casablanca.
History
On the north side, next to the library entrance is Cremerie la Place, for a robust cup of coffee or mint tea. This square is walled on one side by the grand, horseshoe-arched entrance to the al-Qarawiyyin Library, and centres on a gnarled plane tree. Since 1963 Borj Nord has housed the Museum of Arms, with a collection running to more than 5,000 pieces from Morocco, Africa, Europe and Asia, and dating from prehistory to the 1900s.
Between Fes el-Jdid and Fes el-Bali is the oldest park in the city, landscaped in the 18th century on the orders of Sultan Moulay Abdallah. In the same vein as other Marinid religious schools in Fez, the Al-Attarine Madrasa has sophisticated decoration on its rectangular courtyard. Some of the best places to dine in Fez are just inside the gateway, affording a front row view of the day-to-day in a Medieval city. What may take you by surprise is how young this monument is compared to the religious schools and shrines in Fez. This is also the only religious school in Fez to have its own minaret, also a work of art and hailed as the finest in the city.
The entrance of the former Royal Palace of Fez
You can make the climb at sunset, pausing to pick out the city’s landmarks, like the lofty minaret of the Mosque of al-Qarawiyyin and the royal palace, fringed by the Mellah (Jewish quarter). A stirring panorama of Old Fez awaits you at the ruins of a royal necropolis from the Marinid Dynasty (13th to 15th centuries). Now meticulously tended, the park has a large pond and water gardens where geometric fountains are festooned with zellige tiles, all bordered by geometric beds of roses, cactuses and low boxwood hedges.
- Since 1963 Borj Nord has housed the Museum of Arms, with a collection running to more than 5,000 pieces from Morocco, Africa, Europe and Asia, and dating from prehistory to the 1900s.
- We enjoyed this season for long strolls through the medina and cultural visits without the heavy summer heat.
- There are numerous historic mosques in the medina, some of which are part of a madrasa or zawiya.
- Some of the best places to dine in Fez are just inside the gateway, affording a front row view of the day-to-day in a Medieval city.
- Join photographer and cultural entrepreneur Omar Chennafi on a curated photography tour blending visual exploration with cultural insight.
- Still, it’s one of the top-rated options, offering private rooms with an en-suite bathroom.
- Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University is a public university founded in 1975 and is the largest in the city by attendance, counting over 86,000 students in 2020.
- Yes, if “good” means local, cheap, and satisfying.
- Enjoy reliable and efficient shipping solutions for local and global delivery needs.
- Yes—Fez is absolutely worth visiting if you want to experience the raw, historic Morocco with its soul, chaos, and craft all in one place.
- Because of this, it’s best to remember to take a bit of mint or a scarf with you instead.
- The Bou Inania Madrasa is an iconic religious building in the center of the medina.
Several language institutes in Fez also organize cultural activities in addition to offering courses. The Al Houria Cultural Complex, opened in 2005, is a fez bet cultural center in the Ville Nouvelle that includes a theatre, a media library, and exhibition spaces. Zellij workshops in other cities, such as Meknes, Salé and Marrakesh, usually follow or emulate the craftsmanship style of Fez. The city is also one of the historical centers of Moroccan Sufism and a significant body of written works were devoted to its many Sufi walis (“saints” or teachers). They were generally built next to a well or natural spring which provided water, while the sloping topography of the city allowed for easy drainage.
So if you want to make sure you leave no stone unturned in the largest walled city in the world you could call on the services of a professional guide. We’ve mentioned that the labyrinthine Fez of Medina has 9,000 alleys and 40,000 dead ends, as well as a history that is just as tangled. There’s a sumptuous collection of local cobalt blue ceramics, a signature of the city for more than a millennium, and astrolabes, a technology adapted by Arab scholars in the 10th century to set prayer times. The gate on the north facade is from the beginning of the 13th century and has two arches, one adorned with moulded plasterwork and the other cedar, and both rich with zellige decoration. The square minaret dates from the 10th century, and was designed to resemble the minaret at the Mosque of al-Qarawiyyin.
The park was opened in June 2014 and is credited with significantly improving the recreational infrastructure of Fez. The park is dedicated to the relations of Fez and Latin America; its inauguration ceremony was attended by a delegation of ambassadors from Venezuela, Paraguay, and Panama. Latin American Park is a park opened in the summer of 2015 that sits in the middle of Fez.
Although the Idrisid realm was eventually reunified and enjoyed a period of peace under Ali ibn Muhammad and Yahya ibn Muhammad, it fell into decline again in the late 9th century. Andalusi families of mixed Arab and Iberian descent, who were expelled from Córdoba after a rebellion in 817–818 against al-Hakam I, were one major component of the immigrant population. The city was first founded in 789 as Madinat Fas on the southeast bank of the Jawhar River (now known as the Fez River) by Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty. The two cities were united in 1070 and the name Fās was used for the combined site. During this period the capital city was known as al-ʿĀliyá, with the name Fās being reserved for the separate site on the other side of the river.
Although its educational activities have disappeared, the Médersa Attarine remains a living testimony to the artistic and intellectual heyday of medieval Fez. Inside, you’ll discover the small rooms where students from all over the kingdom were housed for religious instruction. As you pass through the gate, you’ll understand why it has become the icon of the imperial city, photographed by thousands of visitors every day. Along the narrow streets, you’ll discover such wonders as the 13-window hydraulic clock facing the Médersa Bouanania, the interconnecting terraces and the historic fondouks. We were impressed by this labyrinth of 14,000 listed buildings, where 137 mosques rub shoulders with 23 public hammams. Fès el-Bali, Morocco’s largest medina, took us back in time.
When people talk about the Medina, they normally mean both Old Fez (Fes el-Bali) and the newer Fes el-Jdid, founded in the 13th century during the Marinid Dynasty. What is believed to be the largest pedestrian zone in the world is an indecipherable maze of more than 9,000 mostly nameless alleys. The bewitching Medieval city of Fez was founded on the banks of the Jawhar River in the 8th century by Idris I, a descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
