Sign in with Facebook- Join for free
- Sign In
Sign in with FacebookTop Wilaya de Fes hotels
Favorite thing: When eating in tourist cafes I found that most put extra dishes on your table, such as bread, soup, olives and salads, as though its a free entre etc. Though you haven't ordered it, it will appear on your bill should you touch it. If you don't want it, tell the waiter when he delivers it.
Written Sep 19, 2006
Favorite thing: I bought 1 postcard at the Medina 3 Dirham and stamp to Thailand is 6.5 Dirham ... I found out later when somebody at the post office in Marrakesh told me that I have to put at least 10 Dirham! Finally I got my postcard when I back home with 6.5 Dirham stamp!
Written May 20, 2006
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: The Royal Place is closed to all visitors these days – which is sad because it is in little use and has a reputation of being among the mot elegant structures of Morocco. There are the decorations around the gates, which give some indications on what is on display inside.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: The Mellah has its name from the Arabic word for salt, "melh", and is the Jewish quarter which now to a large degre is abandoned and taken over by rural Moroccan immigrants. The area had its own architecture which principally tooks its shape in bays and windows which often could be beautifully adorned, a qualkity that was quite striking compared to the plain white walls of the houses in which they were placed.
The Mellah was not always such a nice place to live, as certin rulers of Fez at times imposed ghetto regulations. This served a both as protection and enclosure. While their rights inside the Mellah were good and safe, the Jews of Fez experienced hard limitations outside: they could not wear shoes or ride on horse or donkey.
The main attractions around the Mellah are the windos and some few synagoges. The Habanim synagogue is now being developed into a museum of Jewish lifestyles.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: There is not much left from the Merenid tombs anymore, here to the north of the city near the Bab el Guissa. But the view over the city, as well as the knowledge that the Merenid rulers were central in making Fez the cultural and religious capital of Morocco, will make the visit worthwhile.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: Suuq Dabbaghin, or the tanners' quarter, is situated no more than 50 metres away from the Kairouine mosque. That is quite surprising, since tanning is considered to be an unclean activity and should therefore be as far away as possible from the main mosque. The reason for this proximity might just be that both were located here in times when Fez was no more than a small town.
The tanners' quarter has become one of Fez' main attractions. The reason comes from the platform where you can look down on the entire area, and see how the process is done, and enjoy watching the contrasts between the brownish honeycombs, the white houses and the intense colours of the dye.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: While the tanning is not considered much of job by most Fassis, the people who bring in skins in to town, remove the hair and fur and bring it out to the tannners' quarter are still a step or two down on the ladder from the tanners.
As you walk into their funduq where the skins are sorted, no happy face will look up at you. And just like subdued convicts none of them will stop you from photographing. But still you get a clear feeling that your photo angles should be made so that no face is revealed: even people who don't object openly deserve to have their privacy protected.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: Being among the most famed gates of Morocco, the Bab Boueloud is suprisingly young. It was built as late as in 1913 and marked the completion of Fez el Bali and Fez el Jedid. The gate is strikingly beautiful, with the view from the outide as the most impressive. Seeing the minarets and the houses thorugh its opening marks an excellent introduction to Fez. As you enter the gate, note that the colour of the mosaics change: the outside blue reflects the colour of Fez, while the inside green is the colour of Islam.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: Around the Kairouine mosque, there are many madrasas ? Islamic schools. The most famous of them is the Attarin, right up the main street.
It was built in the early 14th century, and excels in a beautiful bronze door and an elegant courtyard. The school has numerous examples of excellent detail work, in both marble, alabaster and cedarwood.
Written Nov 29, 2005
Helpfulness
Favorite thing: It has its name from the the city Kairouan in Tunisia. Either there was a woman with the origin in Kairouan who established it, or it simply got its name from the quarter where immigrants of this town lived.
Kairouine mosque has been the centre of Islamic learning in Morocco for more than 1000 years, but its real growth to importance came in the 10th and 12th centuries, when most of its structures were added to to the rather modest original structures.
As a mosque it is rather unusual. Its large quarters have since long grown together with the rest of Fez, and unless you enter it, it is therefore almost impossible to get a grip of its real size. Fortunately there are sometimes doors open that allows non-Muslims to look inside, so that they can at least make a guess.
But even if you cannot enter the mosque, at least many of the Islamic schools that lies around it are open to visitors. The most famous of these is the Attarin madrasa.
Written Nov 28, 2005
Comments