The City of Fès or Fez

Location, demographics and climate. The city of Fez is a city of the Kingdom of Morocco located 180 km east of the city of Rabat. The city of Fez has 1,412,000 inhabitants and covers an area of 424 km².

Temperatures range from 6 to 36 °C. The climate is cold and rainy in winter. It is hot and dry in summer.

History. The city of Fez is the oldest imperial capital of Morocco. It was founded by Idriss I on the east bank of the Wadi Fez around 789 AD and by Idriss 2 who continued the foundation on the west bank. These parts were unified by the Almoravids during the 11th century to become a major Islamic city of the time. It was during the reign of the Marinids that the city of Fez reached its apogee and became a religious, academic and economic crossroad in the mid-14th century. The city retained its religious dominance over the centuries that followed. On 30 March 1912, the Treaty of Fez, signed in the city of the same name, established the French protectorate in Morocco.

Almost the entire city of Fez is surrounded by low hills with orchards and olive groves. Part of the ancient city of Fez (Fez El Bali) is still surrounded to this day and partly by ancient ramparts. The ancient city is home to the Qarawiyin Mosque founded in the 9th century which includes a famous university created in 859 and the Sidi Mohammed Ibn Abdellah University created in 1974.

The Fez el Jedid (New Fez) part of the city was founded in the 13th century by the Marīnides dynasty. It houses the Royal Palace and the Great Mosque. Just south of the Royal Palace is the Mellah, or Jewish area of the city. The modern part of the city, the New City, is located on a plateau to the southwest. It was founded by Marshal Lyautey in 1916. This part of the city also includes the industrial district.

Tourist places. The city of Fez is frequently referred to as the capital of culture in Morocco. It has indeed a very rich intellectual, architectural and historical heritage. Among the unmissable tourist places, we retain: El Bali-Fez or old district of the city of Fez, El Jedid-Fez, the Bab Bou – Jeloud district, the Andalusian district, the city walls of Fez with its many gates, the Qaraouiyine mosque, the medina of Fez, the district of tanners, the Attarine medersa, the Borj Nord, the El Hédim place, the Bouanania medersa, the Dar Jamaï Museum and many other places!