Fez (فاس), Morocco

Old walled city of Fez, Morocco
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fes_old_city.JPG
Patrick Morin


Fez (Arabic: فاس, French: Fès) is the second largest city of Morocco. The city of about a million people is also the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco which includes Rabat, Marrakech and Meknes.

Fez has the oldest continuously functioning university in the world, the University of Al-Karaouine, which was founded in AD 859. Today Fez comprises two parts. The walled medieval part is called Fès el Bali. It is today a World Heritage Site. The newer part of town is called Fés el-Jedid. This is primarily a kasbah, or citadel, with the administrative buildings of the city.

Medina of Fez
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M%C3%A9dina_de_F%C3%A8s_%281%29.jpg
jfgornet


As with the other major cities of Morocco, Fez experiences a Mediterranean climate. The summers here are hot and dry while the winters are cool and wet. July and August get the highest temperature, with highs averaging 33°C (91°F). January temperature is the lowest, with lows averaging 6°C (43°F). February is the wettest month in Fez, receiving 102 mm (4 in ) of precipitation.

Fez is located on the inland part of northern Morocco, on the banks of the Fez river. It was established in AD 789 by Idris I, founder of the Zaydi Shite Idrisid Dynasty. In the 9th century, an influx of Arabs from Córdoba and Kairouan gave it its Arab character.

Gate of Bab el Seba, Fez
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fes_-_Palau_Reial_-_Bab_El_Seba_des_N.JPG
Josep Renalias


By the 15th century, Fez had become a cosmopolitan Muslim city. While the population was predominantly Berber, there are also significant communities of north Africans, Arabs, Moriscos as well as Jews. In 1554 the city fell to the Wattasid Dynasty and became a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire before being fully annexed in 1579.

Fez served as the capital of Morocco for a number of times, the last until 1912, when Morocco became a French protectorate, and the French chose Rabat as the capital. Since then the capital has remained in Rabat even after independence.

Mihrab of Bou Inania Madrasa, Fez
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bou_Inania_Madrasa.jpg
Bernard Gagnon


Fez is perhaps best known for producing the tarboosh, also called fez, after the city itself. This is a red truncated cone hat which was produced only in Fez until the 19th century.

Visiting Fez

You can fly to the Fes-Saiss Airport on Royal Air Maroc from London Gatwick and Paris Orly, or on Ryannair from London Stansted. Trains are also available from Casablanca (3 hours 20 min), Marrakesh (8 hours 15 min) and Tangier (4 hours 30 min).

Fez Tannery
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fes_tannery_2.JPG
Patrick Morin

Sights & Attractions in Fez el-Bali

The Medina of Fez is a World Heritage Site of Morocco.

Sights & Attractions in Fès el-Jedid

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.