Fes Things to Do

There is a big chance that any accomodation within the Old Town will have a rooftop terrace with some great views. The best panoramic view I had was from private-home-turned-museum in the Andalous Quarter - I don`t remember the name, it was something like Dar Binouni, but any official guide will probably know about it. Another excellent viewpoint is from the rooftop cafe of the Foundouk Nejjarine (woodwork museum).

The best viewpoints from outisde the city are from the fortress Bourj Nord and from the Merinid Tombs. Another good viewing point is an elevated tomb in the Jewish Cemetery from which you have the best view over the whole graveyard - the gatekeeper will probably take you there anyway.

The Medina is a fascinating grown medieval Old Town, with only few modern additions, bordered by the largely intact city walls. A maze of alleys, but there is some sense in the layout, as my guide Ali explained to me: Each quarter has grown around a basic infrastructure: a mosque, a school, a bakery, a fountain and a bath. This is the "core". Around this, another "circle" contains the markets and shops, the next "circle" contains living quarters. If you enter a gate with a wooden arch, this marks the border between two quarters. A wooden rood between two walls means that no animal may pass here, as it is a holy area. Many old doors have a large frame and a small frame: the small door was for family members, the large one for other guests.

This is the most beautiful city gate, richly decorated with tilework, leading to Place Bou Jeloud and from there to the Medina via Rue Talaa Seghira. Also close to lots of restaurants and an easy-to-find ATM machine which might be useful.

From the Bab-el-Jeloud, go west paralell to the City Walls, along the Avenue des Francais, and you will finally see the Bab-es-Seba, which opens up to square Moulay Hassan II, also called "Vieux Mechouar", formerly used for military parades. On the adjoining towers storks can be seen quite often !

Between the City Walls to the north and the Bourj Nord/Merinid Tombs lies a number of Muslim Cemeteries that look quite spectacular. Other VT members commented that these are not safe places - I have no opinion on that, but you can see a lot if you just walk from the Bab Mahrouk up to Bourj Nord and so you need not enter the place itself. Another huge muslim cemetery easily visible from the Merinid Tombs is El-Mokhfia to the south of Fes-el-Bali.

The restored Danan Synagogue is open to the public, but its rather hidden - best ask someone for the direction. It is a five-minutes walk from the Jewish Cemetery. No entrance fee, but a small donation will be expected. The view from the rooftop terrace on the Jewish Cemetery is pretty good!

Fes always had a significant Jewish community through its history, and all in all Moroccans and Jews got along rather well here. After WW2 many Jews migrated to Israel, leaving only a few thousand in Fes who now mainly live in the Ville Nouvelle, but not anymore in the historic Jewish Quarter (mellah). To get there, I recommend taking a taxi to the Place de l´Alaouites. Walking is not recommended as this place is at the South-Western tip of Fes-El-Jedid. The old guy at the entrance to the Cemetery leads you around and tells you interesting details about several graves. Note that you can tell from the graves if it belongs to a sephardic (usually spanish/north african origin) or chassidic (usually eastern european heritage) family. Sephardic Jews use candles. Chassidic Jews place stones on the graves. From a small balcony you have a great view over the whole cemetery. Just keep in my mind that if the guy from the cemetery leads you also to the Synagogue, he expects money (a small fortune, to be exact). Keep 10-20 Dirhams ready, but give him no more than that.

Dar-Al-Makzhen is the Royal Palace and occasionally still in use if the King happens to be in Fes. The main entrance at the Place de l`Alaouites with its bronze doors and artwork is really spectacular. As you obviously can`t visit it as a tourist, I recommend you use Google Earth to peek inside.