According to some traditions, the city’s name comes from the Arabic word فأس Faʾs, meaning pickaxe. It also contains the Chouara Tannery from the 11th century, one of the oldest tanneries in the world. It contains the University of al-Qarawiyyin which was founded in 857 and is the oldest continuously functioning institute of higher education in the world. The Medina of Fez is listed as a World Heritage Site and is one of the world’s largest and oldest urban pedestrian zones (car-free areas). The city consists of two old medina quarters, Fes el-Bali and Fes Jdid, and the much larger modern urban Ville Nouvelle area founded during the French colonial era. After the overthrow of the Marinid dynasty, the growth of Fez stalled and the city subsequently competed with Marrakesh for political and cultural influence.
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.
It is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. They’re a great place to stay to find some calm at the end of your busy days in Fes. Marvel at the majestic Royal Palace during this historical tour of fez bet Fes.
The tanneries tour without the hard sell
Several language institutes in Fez also organize cultural activities in addition to offering courses. The Al Houria Cultural Complex, opened in 2005, is a 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.
- Fez (/fɛz/) or Fesa (/fɛs/) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region.
- Like the inhabitants of other historical urban centers in Morocco, Ahl Fes (أهل فاس “the people of Fes,” referring especially to old elite families) speak their own distinct dialect of Darija.
- This functioning royal palace in the Fes Jdid quarter is on more than 80 hectares and has been here since the 13th century.
- 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.
- The creation of the separate French Ville Nouvelle to the west had a wider impact on the entire city’s development.
- As the medina is car-free, we recommend parking in the official parking lots near the main gates, or choosing accommodation with a parking option.
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Discover Al Quaraouiyine University and its mosque, a world heritage site and center of knowledge Get instant shipping options for packages and pallets, locally and globally. Every day, we commit to providing our customers with peace of mind, and this commitment extends to our pricing strategy. We connect Nigeria to over 200+ cities worldwide, offering competitive rates and ensuring each item is delivered with the utmost care. Enjoy reliable and efficient shipping solutions for local and global delivery needs. We absolutely loved our stay in Fez, but it’s not a destination we would dare go back to.
The natural music of water
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.
Take in the Smells of the Tanneries
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.
If you find yourself here while poking around the city you’ll be confronted by a row of three heavy wooden doors in horseshoe arches and flanked by high square towers topped with pointed merlons. In the middle of the Medina you’ll happen upon a tight passageway beckoning you onto a square in the shade of large old plane trees and the high minaret of the Zaouia Moulay Idriss II. This functioning royal palace in the Fes Jdid quarter is on more than 80 hectares and has been here since the 13th century.
- A real “coup de cœur” of our stay, we were captivated by this city with its 137 mosques in the medina and its ancestral tanneries perpetuating a unique know-how.
- The city consists of two old medina quarters, Fes el-Bali and Fes Jdid, and the much larger modern urban Ville Nouvelle area founded during the French colonial era.
- This was part of a larger “policy of association” adopted by Lyautey which favoured various forms of indirect colonial rule by preserving local institutions and elites, in contrast with other French colonial policies that had favoured “assimilation”.
- The exact date and circumstances of its formation are not firmly established, but many scholars date the transfer of the Jewish population from Fes el-Bali to the new Mellah to the 15th century, a period of political tension and instability.
- Marvel at the majestic Royal Palace during this historical tour of Fes.
- Apart from that, Fez has a lot more to offer, and you can concentrate on some of the best highlights in one day if you’re rushing out.
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.
The madrassa is open from 8 AM – 6 PM (always check for religious holidays and events, as this can alter times). The Kairaouine Mosque is known to be the world’s oldest university and is the second-largest mosque in Morocco. The park is open Tuesday – Sunday between 8 AM – 7.30 PM.
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.
In 1915 it was turned into a museum of historical art and artifacts, containing around 6,000 pieces. Many old private residences have also survived to this day, in various states of conservation. The tanneries are packed with the round stone wells filled with dye or white liquids for softening the hides. Since the city’s foundation, the tanning industry has been continually operating in Fez and is considered one of the main tourist attractions. Several forts were constructed along the defensive perimeters of the medina during different time periods.