Fes el-Bali is the old walled heart of Fes, a car-free medina where the University of al-Qarawiyyin has taught continuously since 859 CE and the Chouara tannery still dyes leather by hand in stone vats using saffron, indigo and henna, much as it has done for centuries.
At a glance
Fes el-Bali, the old medina of Fes, was founded in 789 CE and remains one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world: no vehicles enter its streets, and goods and people move on foot or by mule. Alongside it stands Fes el-Jedid, the ‘New Fes’ built by the Marinid dynasty in 1276 CE, which contains the royal palace and the Mellah, the Jewish quarter established in 1438 CE and considered the oldest of its kind in Morocco.
The medina’s survival in something close to its medieval form owes much to geography and to a specific colonial-era decision. Fes el-Bali sits in a valley between two ridges, which limited later development, and when the French Protectorate was established in 1912 the Résident Général, Hubert Lyautey, banned new construction inside the medina and built a separate modern town on the plateau above instead. The old city was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
Key facts
- University of al-Qarawiyyin: founded in 859 CE by Fatima al-Fihri, funded from her own inheritance; recognised as the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in the world.
- Chouara tannery: in continuous operation since the 11th century CE, using natural dyes including saffron, indigo, poppy, henna and pomegranate in circular stone vats.
- Bou Inania Medersa: built 1350–1357 CE under the Marinid ruler Abu Inan Faris; the only religious building in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors, and home to the sole surviving medieval Islamic water clock in Africa.
- Fes el-Jedid and the Mellah: the new palace city founded in 1276 CE, with the Mellah Jewish quarter established in 1438 CE.
- Location: approximately 34.0622° N, 4.9736° W.
History
Fes was founded in 789 CE under the Idrisid dynasty, initially as two settlements on opposite banks of the Fes river: one populated by Andalusian arrivals, the other by settlers from Kairouan in Tunisia. The two were unified in 1069 CE under the Almoravid dynasty, and the city’s walls were extended under the Almohads in the mid-12th century.
The Marinid dynasty, ruling from 1248 to 1465 CE, made Fes its principal seat and its greatest patron, building Fes el-Jedid as a new palace city in 1276 CE and commissioning a series of madrasas, including the Bou Inania, regarded as the finest example of Marinid religious architecture. Later dynasties, the Wattasids and then the Saadians, held Fes before the Saadians moved their capital to Marrakech in the mid-16th century, after which Fes became a secondary city. The Alaouite dynasty, which still rules Morocco today, took power in 1666, and Sultan Moulay Ismail built the Dar al-Makhzen royal palace in Fes during his reign from 1672 to 1727.
The French Protectorate, established in 1912, brought Lyautey’s policy of building a new town outside the medina rather than altering it, which is credited with preserving Fes el-Bali largely intact. Morocco gained independence in 1956, and the medina was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
What you see
At the centre of the old city stands the Mosque and University of al-Qarawiyyin, its courtyard decorated in Andalusian style. Nearby, the Bou Inania Medersa presents a courtyard combining zellige tilework, carved stucco and carved cedarwood, with dormitory rooms arranged around it and its water clock still visible on the façade.
The Chouara tannery is best viewed from the terraces of the surrounding leather shops, looking down onto the round stone dye vats where workers still stand and work the hides by hand. The souks that thread through the medina include the Attarine spice market, which leads directly to the entrance of the al-Qarawiyyin mosque, and Place Seffarine, where metalworkers hammer brass and copper in the open.
Practical information
- Getting around: Fes el-Bali is closed to motor vehicles; movement inside the medina is on foot or by mule, and streets narrow enough to require pressing against a wall as a mule passes are common.
- Orientation: the medina has no grid layout, having grown organically over more than a thousand years; the call to prayer from al-Qarawiyyin is one of the few consistent landmarks by sound.
- Visiting the tannery: visitors are often offered a sprig of mint to hold against the smell of the dye vats.
- Checking access: opening arrangements and any entry conditions for specific monuments are best confirmed through official Moroccan tourism or heritage channels before visiting.
Getting there
Fes el-Bali is reached on foot through one of the medina’s historic gates, as no vehicles are permitted inside. The old city adjoins Fes el-Jedid, the newer Marinid quarter, and the French-built ville nouvelle lies on the plateau above; travel between these areas within Fes is generally straightforward, though the medina itself must be explored on foot.
Nearby
- Fes el-Jedid — the adjoining palace city built by the Marinids in 1276 CE, home to the royal palace.
- The Mellah — the historic Jewish quarter within Fes el-Jedid, established in 1438 CE and considered the oldest in Morocco.
- Place Seffarine — a square within Fes el-Bali known for its metalworkers, close to the al-Qarawiyyin mosque.
Sources
- UNESCO
- Guinness World Records
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