Fès

About Fès

**Founded in 789 AD by Idris I**, the first sultan of the Idrisid dynasty, Fès is **one of the oldest and most complete medieval Islamic cities in the world**. Its old medina — Fès el-Bali — was **designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981**, and with good reason: it contains **a labyrinth of over 9,000 streets and alleyways, many too narrow for even a donkey cart**, within which the life of a medieval Moroccan city continues largely unchanged. **Tanners still cure leather in the same open vats, dyers still colour cloth in the same stone basins filled with saffron and henna, and coppersmiths still hammer their wares by hand**. The **University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri — a woman, a remarkable fact for the era** — is considered by the Guinness World Records and many historians to be the **world's oldest continuously operating university, predating Oxford and Bologna by centuries**. At the heart of Fès el-Bali stands the **Mosque of Moulay Idriss II — inaccessible to non-Muslims but surrounded by some of the finest examples of Moroccan craftsmanship in wood, zellige tilework, and stucco**. The Bou Inania Madrasa, a 14th-century theological college open to visitors, offers a glimpse of the astonishing decorative achievement of the Marinid dynasty. The **Chouara Tannery, best viewed from the leather shop terraces that overlook it**, is one of the most photographed working sites in Africa: dozens of stone vats filled with coloured dyes and limestone, with workers treading hides waist-deep in the liquid. Fès is best visited in **spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November)**, when temperatures are pleasant and the light is beautiful. Summer can be extremely hot in this inland city. The medina is best explored on foot with a good map or a guide — it is easy and enjoyable to get lost, though some alleys can lead you in long circles. **Avoid the unofficial guides who approach tourists near the main gates**. The Ville Nouvelle, the French-planned modern city built after 1912, offers comfortable accommodation and a break from the intensity of the medina. **Day trips to the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy city of Moulay Idriss are easily arranged from Fès**.

Highlights

• ✦ World's largest car-free urban area
• ✦ Medina has 9,400 narrow lanes and 14 gates
• ✦ Oldest university in the world (University of al-Qarawiyyin, 859 AD)

Practical info

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth hiring a guide to visit the Fès medina?

Yes for most first-time visitors — a licensed guide, arranged through your riad or the official tourist office, costs around €25 to €40 for a half-day and helps navigate the medina's roughly 9,000 narrow, unnamed alleyways without getting lost or steered into commission-paying shops. Unofficial 'guides' who approach you on the street often lead to pushy sales pitches at tanneries or carpet shops. A booked guide also unlocks context on the tanneries, madrasas and workshops that's easy to miss alone.

How do you get from Fès train station to the medina?

The ONCF station in the Ville Nouvelle is about 3 km from Bab Boujloud, the medina's iconic blue-tiled gate, a roughly 10 to 15-minute ride by petit taxi or city bus. Since cars cannot enter most of the walled medina, taxis and hotel transfers drop passengers at the nearest gate, with luggage often carried the rest of the way by cart or on foot. Direct trains link Fès to Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes and Marrakesh, making it an easy stop on a rail-based Morocco itinerary.

What is the smell like at the Chouara Tannery in Fès?

The traditional leather-dyeing pits use natural substances including pigeon droppings and lime as part of the tanning process, producing a strong smell that most visitors notice immediately from surrounding rooftop terraces. Staff at shops overlooking the tannery hand out sprigs of fresh mint to hold near your nose, a long-standing local tradition. Viewing platforms are usually reached through a leather shop, and there's a soft expectation, though not an obligation, to browse afterward.

Is it easy to get lost in the Fès medina, and is that a problem?

Very easily — Fès el-Bali is one of the world's largest car-free urban areas with a genuinely maze-like layout of unmarked alleys, and even locals sometimes redirect visitors. It's generally safe to wander, and getting mildly lost is part of the experience, but keep your riad's address and phone number handy, as staff can usually talk you back by phone. Local children or shopkeepers who offer walking directions may expect a small tip.

Why is the Fès medina considered historically significant?

Founded in the 9th century, Fès el-Bali is one of the world's largest preserved medieval Islamic city centres and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 CE and recognised by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating degree-granting university in the world. Traditional crafts including leather tanning, metalwork and ceramics have been practised in the same workshops for centuries. Much of the medina's layout and architecture has remained largely intact since the Marinid dynasty period.

Explore more

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