A brief history of Fez
Birth of a Kingdom The disciples of the prophet Muhammad had seized North Africa in just a few years, starting at the end of the …
Culture
The Mausoleum of Idris II
The mausoleum of Idris II was built during the reign of Moulay Ismail at the beginning of the 18th century and restored in the mid-19th century. It …
The Attarine Madrasa
The older sister of “Bou Inania” and built near the Al-Quaraouiine Mosque, the “Attarine” madrasa, more modest in size than the Bou Inania madrasa, was …
The Bou Inania Madrasa
The prestigious Al-Quaraouiine University required housing for hundreds of foreign students. Under the Marinids, as Fes became a high center of Islamic civilization, it was endowed …
The Tijani Quarter
The thousands of streets in Fes compose countless micro-neighborhoods. The Tijani quarter owes its name to the important “zaouïa” (religious brotherhood center) founded by the Sufi Sheikh Sidi …
Fez El Bali
Since Idris I (743-791) did not have the time to complete the foundation of the city of Fes, which began in the area of the …
The University of Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez
At the heart of the very compact urban fabric of the medina (Fes el-Bali), the Al-Quaraouiine Mosque is also the oldest university in the world …
Fez, Intellectual Capital
The great northern capital is captivating in many ways: its distinctive topography, its picturesque sites, its lush gardens, the originality of its souks, and finally …
Students and the Bohemian Spirit
Students and the Bohemian Spirit is the title of a chapter from the book Fès ou les nostalgies andalouses, written by Enrique Gómez Carrillo and …
Bab Guissa
Every day, between the afternoon prayer and sunset, the surroundings of Bab Guissa would host numerous storytellers, drawing large and loyal crowds made up exclusively …
Jnan Sbil, the marvelous botanical garden of Fez
There is much to see in the medina of Fez and around its ramparts. One particularly splendid place worth visiting is the garden “Jnan Sbil.” …
The Museum of Islamic Arts in Batha
There are several interesting museums in the medina of Fez. One remarkable exception in Morocco is the museum located in the Batha district. The “Al …
Sefrou or The Exuberance
Is Sefrou really only thirty-two kilometers from Fez? It is. Yet how can it be so close, yet so different? In Fez, everything is calm, …
Fez politeness
Silent and graceful, they come and go—the Fassis in their yellow babouches. Their attire is modest in the extreme: immaculate among the wealthy, somewhat neglected …