The Heart of Fès
The entire medina has been designated Unesco World Heritage of Humanity Site. Wander through its souks and alleys which are unchanged since the Middle Ages.
The medina
Traditionally your exploration of the medina should start at the Bab Boujlloud Gate. The first monument to visit is the vast Bou Inania medersa, with its cedar woodwork, its sculptured stucco and its marble and onyx decoration. As you continue along Talaa Kebira Street (big climb), you will particularly admire the Tijani zaouïa (zaouïa, sanctuary of a religious brotherhood) and the instrument makers' souk before arriving at the mzara (shrine) of the ancient sovereign Moulay Idriss situated at the place where he took the decision to build the town. Once you have passed the babouche vendors, you arrive in En-Nejjarine Square and the cabinetmakers' souk. The magnificent carved foundouk (caravanserai) on the square houses the Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts. The kissaria (covered market), where jewellery and fine fabrics are on sale, is nearby (it is shut at night). Next to it, you can admire the most visited and revered attraction in Fès: the zaouïa of Moulay Idriss, founder of the town.
The tanners' quarter
Your walk continues on to Es-Seffarine Square, the coppersmith square, and then to the tanners' quarter situated just before the Andalusian quarter with its mosque and the Es-Sahrij medersa. Your walk ends at the old Dar Batha Palace whose Arabo-Andalusian style makes it a museum to visit absolutely. As it is specialised in the arts and traditions of Fès, it gives an excellent overview of all the local products of the town reputed for its craftsmen's skills. This lively museum also hosts some of the concerts of the Festival of World Sacred Music which takes place every June. The Moqri Palace, hidden nearby behind high white walls, houses treasures of a rare architectural refinement. Prolong the dream by spoiling yourself with a night in the Jamaï Palace, previously the residence of a rich vizier now converted into a hotel.
To remember
A day isn't enough for seeing even a small sample of the treasures to be found in the medina.
The medersas
The imperial city is the capital of traditional Moroccan culture. Cradle of knowledge, for which its superb medersas are a flamboyant symbol.
Schools
A medersa is a school where the Koran is taught along with all the classic subject of learning: mathematics, grammar, history, astronomy, medicine… In Morocco, and especially in Fès, medersas have the important role of integrating students from other regions. Generally they are built around a central courtyard with a fountain. Classes are held under the sumptuous arcades bordering it.
The oldest university
The Karaouiyine mosque is one of the most imposing in Morocco. It houses a university which is thought to be the oldest in the world and which was founded in the middle of the 9th century at a time when theology, grammar and Koranic law were the basic subjects taught. The El-Attarine medersa, situated opposite it, is considered to be the most beautiful in the medina.
El-Attarine
The Merenids built this masterpiece between 1323 and 1325. Its central courtyard is magnificently decorated. Its walls are covered with sura engraved in wood or plaster. The fountain and marble columns are embellished with zellige (tiled mosaic).
Bou Inania
This medersa, built between 1350 and 1357, is the biggest in Fès . Pass through the magnificent entrance with its heavy copper work doors, and then be impressed by the abundance of earthenware, the refinement of the sculptured wood and plaster and the chiselled stalactites called mukarnas, the hallmark of Merenid architecture. A canopy of typical Fès green tiles surmounts the onyx and marble courtyard.
To remember
The medersas of the medina are the masterpieces of Merenid architecture in Fès.
