Fès, Morocco’s oldest Islamic city and third largest after the capital Rabat and the commercial hub Casablanca, is a 1,200-year-old living museum of historic Hispano-Arabic culture and architecture that blends harmoniously with the cosmopolitan edge it has enjoyed for centuries.
Ceremonial Palace in Fès.
Medina in Fès is the largest old town in the world, according to our guide Fouad.
Fès sits on a plain overlooking the Middle and High Atlas region, which has become a haven for trekkers, winter-sports and wildlife enthusiasts, and those in search of Morocco’s traditional villages and way of life.
Fès was made the capital of Morocco in 809. Fès el Bali is the oldest part of the city, characterized by a maze of lanes, courtyards, and alleyways dating from as early as the 8th century. Its medersas (universities), palaces, souks, mosques with soaring minarets and graceful domes, and stone dwellings (known as fondouks) are all fine examples of early Islamic, Moorish, and Andalusian architecture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, Fès el Bali is a huge, car-free medina and an essential site for any visitor to Morocco.
Let’s explore the medina in Fès:
See how narrow some of the streets are.
