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SPAIN

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Saïdia Rabat

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Zagora

ALGERIA CANARY ISLANDS

MAURITANIA 3

Fez

5 Editorial 6 The city that founded 8 The treasures of Fez el Bali 10 Fez, past and present 12 Surprising Fez 16 Palaces from the Thousand and One Nights 18 The Fassi art of living 20 Fassi craftwork: quality and true refinement 22 Cultural Fez 24 Sporting Fez 25 The city’s surroundings: springs and mountains 26 Information and useful addresses 4 5

Editorial

Fascinating Fez When the most imperial of all Morocco’s cities welcomes its guests, it is to have them experience an altogether unique art of living for themselves. Fez is nothing less than a great open-air museum, on equal terms with Venice, Florence and Athens as an example of living world heritage. The subtle sumptuousness of its palaces, the richness of its museums, the solemn grandeur of its medersas, home to the greatest sages of the city’s Golden Age, and the magnificent profusion of its , each one raised in devout homage to the glory of God - for all those who love art and culture, these many wonders are an irresistible and ever open invitation to discovery.

The Kingdom’s spiritual and cultural centre, city of a thousand and one faces, Fez has lost none of its splendour over the centuries, unwavering in its determination to preserve Balance and harmony the its traditions and keep its ancient stones vibrantly alive. Its medina, a listed UNESCO city’s architecture is an World Heritage site, is as unique and authentic as it was over 1200 years ago. inspiration to reverie and the quest for wisdom Fez, a melting pot of so many succeeding cultures, has absorbed the very best from each, inheriting Arab nobility, Andalusian sophistication, Jewish ingenuity, and Berber tenacity. Its glorious past, its marvellously preserved material and immaterial heritage, and the timeless aristocracy that lies at the centre of its being are all part and parcel of the fascination that the city holds for all those who visit it today. 6

The city that founded Morocco

The town of “Madinat Fas” was district, and, soon afterwards, around founded by Idriss I in 789. Twenty 2000 families from Kairouan fled years later, in 809, his successor, Idriss there to escape Abassid persecution and II, started work on making it his capital, created the Quaraouiyine district. Both building his royal palace there, along groups were to have a major impact with his , his kissaria (covered on the city’s future. The newcomers market), his canals and his city walls. brought their knowledge and know-how The site was no haphazard choice, with them, along with long experience being carefully selected by the Idrissid of city life. It was at their instigation dynasty with a canny eye on the future. that Fez was to become an important Its geographic location on the fertile urban centre, whose way of life, so Saiss Plain, in the hollow of a valley closely bound up with Oued Fez, a at the foot of Mount Zalagh, made it river watered by some sixty springs, is an economic, political, and strategic something of a rarity in the history of A first overview of 1200 crossroads, and was a decisive factor in Moroccan cities. years of history... the city’s development and influence. The foundation of the Al Quaraouiyine In 817-818, two successive waves of university mosque in 857 marks the new arrivals began flowing into the city. start of the city’s Golden Age. The 800 Andalusian families expelled from centuries that followed were years of Cordoba by the Umayyads who settled unparalleled architectural creation - in Fez and founded the Andalusian mosques, fondouks (),

The Mellah district 7

Views of the medina from the surrounding hillsides have always inspired contemplation

luxurious residences, and renowned As capital of the empire, Fez became medersas (universities) sprang into the refuge of choice for Andalusian being. The city saw itself become capital Muslims and Jews, the latter being of a vast empire, and aspired to yet responsible for the creation of its dizzier heights, with merchants, artists, Mellah (Jewish quarter). In the 16th scholars and students from throughout century, under the Saadian dynasty, the world flocking to its gates. Its the city’s fortunes fell into temporary cultural and spiritual influence was decline, and it had to wait until 1666 such that it came to be referred to as to regain its lost prestige and rank of the “Athens of Africa.” capital.

When the Merinids seized power in Over the course of its long and the 13th century, they had a new city, remarkable history, Fez has endowed Fez el Jdid, built outside the existing itself with a rich and varied architectural walls to accommodate their palaces and and urban heritage, whose value the famous Mechouar (a huge square has been deservedly recognised by designed for ceremonial occasions and UNESCO in its listing of the city’s where the sovereign assembled the city medina as a World Heritage site. dignitaries for consultation and advice). The of the mosque Quaraouiyine 8

The treasures of Fez-el-Bali

The whole of the old city, Fez -el- The medersas (Koranic universities) Bali, is nothing less than a great bear living witness to the city’s open-air museum, with countless intellectual and scientific past. masterpieces of architecture They are the work of the Merinid awaiting your discovery in its 9,400 sultans, and played a prominent narrow little streets. Among the part in political, educational, and 10,572 listed buildings of historical cultural life. Founded in the 13th interest it contains, Fez boasts 185 century, the first to be built was mosques, numerous medersas, and the Seffarine Medersa, outstanding a selection of truly magnificent for the restrained elegance of its palaces. There are so many sights decor. The Bou Inania Medersa is that must simply not be left unseen. remarkable for the sumptuousness of its architecture - its wealth of Without a doubt, the most sculpted stuccowork and carved imposing of all its mosques is the cedar wood, and its rich onyx and Quaraouiyine. Founded in 859 marble decor. Ibn Khaldoun taught by Fatima El Fihria and later there. The El-Attarine Medersa enlarged, it is the very beating was built in 1325 and is one of heart of the city. Its name derives the wonders of the city, a true from the district in which it masterpiece, its decor - sculpted From its earliest days, stands, then inhabited by refugees marble and calligraphy, cedar wood the city’s history has from Kairouan. The Andalusian arches, finely worked mosaics been bound up with the Mosque dates back to 860, and its and - of breath-taking river upon whose banks great -adorned gateway and delicacy. The Cherratine Medersa it lies as is evidenced by its wealth of magnificent carved wooden eaves are not to be was built by Sultan Moulay Rachid fountains missed out on. The Moulay Idriss in the 17th century, and could Zaouia houses the tomb of the accommodate up to two hundred city’s founder, Moulay Idriss II. students at a time.

In days gone by, the fondouks (caravanserais) were mercantile centres, used as trading houses, hotels, and warehouses. They are located along the medina’s major thoroughfares (Talaa el Kibira, Talaa Sghira, Ras Cherratine, and Nejjarine) and close to its main gateways (Bab Boujloud, Bab Elguissa, and Bab Ftouh). The fountain extends the fondouk into the square with subtle elegance. Among the city’s 70 monumental public fountains, many are real masterpieces of decorative art - the Nejjarine 9

The left-hand pavilion and its ablution basin in the inner courtyard of the Qaraouiyine Mosque

fountain, along with the one in Souk The Quaraouiyine Library dates Hayek and the Qouas fountain are back to the 12th century. Since particularly fine examples. 1613, it has housed over 32,000 manuscripts, playing a major role The Batha Palace is now a Museum in ensuring the city’s influence of Arts and Traditions, conserving as the ’s scientific and rich collections of traditional intellectual capital. It has recently Fassi artwork, including jewellery, been restored, and continues to embroidery, carpets, pottery, conserve its unique collections copperware, and wrought iron. of rare documents - works from The Nejjarine Museum of Wood the pens of such great sages as Arts and Crafts is accommodated Averroes and Ibn Khaldoun. in a magnificently restored former fondouk, whose rooftop terrace affords splendid views of Fez and the surrounding hillsides. Inside the Nejjarine fondouk 10

Fez, past and present

The city’s souks are part and parcel Souk Tillis is renowned for its of Fassi life, and are organised carpets, the Nejjarine district for its corporately. Souk Attarine is without cabinetwork (moucharabiehs, coffee doubt one of the liveliest in the city, a tables, armchairs and, marquetry market street with two monumental work), and the coppersmiths in wooden doors at either end, which Es-Seffarine square produce finely are closed in the evenings at the end chased trays and teapots, along of business. In bygone olden days, it with countless other items of iron, specialised in the sale of traditional copper and silver ware. medicines, and according to Leon the African, its shops knew no rival A morning visit to the tanners’ anywhere in the world. Souk el- district (the Chouwara tanneries) Henna has been selling cosmetic is an absolute must. The tanneries, products for centuries (including made up of innumerable ditches Fassi craftwork is remarkable rhassoul, soft soap, kohl, rosewater, filled to the brim with a dazzling for its extraordinary and henna). And if it’s a piece of variety of pigments, process skins sophistication unique Fassi embroidery you’re for production of sheep, cow and after, look no further than Kissaria goat leather in the traditional Serrajine, where an irresistible range manner. Look down at proceedings of silks, brocades, braided trimmings, from a neighbouring rooftop embroidered slippers and kaftans terrace - a giant artist’s palette in awaits your coming. all its colourful splendour!

A medina street 11

A panoramic view over the tanneries - nothing less than a giant artist’s palette 12

Surprising Fez

The Royal Palace The Fez Jdid discovery tour The most imposing of all Fez Jdid’s A very enjoyable four-wheel monuments is undoubtedly the Royal excursion, carrying you off to Palace, which began construction in experience the city and its countless the 13th century. From Place des terraces and minarets in a whole Alaouites, a vast esplanade created new way, and taking in the North nearby in 1968, you can enjoy Borj, which today houses the city’s impressive views of the palace’s Weaponry Museum, the Merinid delicately worked doorways. Tombs, and the South Borj, an ideal departure point for discovery of the The Mellah medina. The Jewish quarter was founded by the sultan at the end of the 16th century, The remains of the Merinid to offer protection to the city’s Jewish Tombs stand on the slopes of community. The Grand Rue des Al Qolla, a hillside selected in the Merinides cuts across it, a bustling 14th century as the site of the royal thoroughfare packed with shops of all necropolis. From 1361 to 1398, kinds, selling, among other things, Abou El Hassan’s successors and jewellery, household textiles, and a wide others of royal lineage were buried assortment of other fabrics. The houses there. Now in ruins, little is left of The remains of the Merinid Tombs keep in the Mellah are of different design the necropolis beyond the remains watch over the city to Muslim residences, with windows of three cupolas and a mosque, and looking out on to the street and a few sections of wall. But from the wooden or wrought-iron balconies. The top of this gentle hillside overlooking 17th-century Ibn Danan synagogue the city, the views to be had of Fez is a masterpiece of Judeo-Moroccan el Bali and the Sebou Valley are an architecture, and is well worth going altogether spellbinding experience. out of your way to see.

Bab Boujloud and its green and blue ceramics 13

The exquisitely worked doors of the Royal Palace in Fez

Time has come to a standstill for the Magana Bou Inania clock Across from the Bou Inania Medersa stand the venerable remains of a water clock (clepsydra) dating back to the 16th century, its mechanism sadly no longer intact. A number of studies have been carried out in recent years with a view to restoring it to active duty, the latest of which suggests that the clock may well have sounded hours of unequal length, based on the time elapsed between sunrise and sunset. For the moment, though, the Magana is still waiting for modern man to show as much ingenuity as his forebears evidently possessed 5 centuries ago, and finally gets it going once again. 14

Fez medina: a panorama that reveals nothing of the feverish activity within 15 16

Palaces from the Thousand and One Nights

A thousand palaces lie hidden away 17 edifices of which it is composed. in the labyrinthine streets of the It is, without a doubt, the finest of medina, residences huddled side by all Fassi palaces, only rivalled by the side, their secrets jealously guarded Mokri Palace. by blind walls behind which daily life takes its course. Worlds This latter is an integral part of of breath-taking wonder await Morocco’s architectural heritage. those who cross their thresholds Visitors are bedazzled by the exquisite - fine stuccowork, carved cedar cabinetwork and the delicacy of the wood, zellij, stalactite-topped wrought iron, sculpted by true master arches, balustrades, wrought- craftsmen. Painted and carved ceilings iron grills, and high double doors and cupolas vie for attention with that are opened during the day baroque woodwork set with frosted to let in the sunlight and cool Venetian glass windows and adorned morning air. Each house has its with the colours of old Baghdad. fountain adorning the centre of the patio and its Andalusian or The Mnebhi Palace is one of the interior garden - in all, a magical imperial city’s more recently built combination of marble, water, monuments. Work started on and lush greenery. The Glaoui its construction in the late 19th The austere exterior walls Palace, the Pasha of Marrakech’s century, and it took the very finest of Fassi palaces give second home, comprises 1000 Moroccan artists and craftsmen little indication of the rooms, two gardens, 30 fountains, a full fifteen years to complete. magnificence awaiting a Koranic school, a Moorish bath The magnificent edifice that discovery on the other side for men and another for women, resulted is now a restaurant, and an oven, an oil mill and a flour lovers of fine food can wine and mill, stables, and a great central dine in sumptuously decorated kitchen communicating with the surroundings fit for prince. 17

When Fassi palaces open their doors to visitors, they enter a world straight out of the Thousand and One Nights 18

The Fassi art of living

Life in Fez is a daily round of from generation to generation since sophisticated pleasure - a fine roof time immemorial . over your head, subtle cuisine, elegant clothing, harmonious Arousing the taste buds colours, age-old rituals of beauty, With its roots in 13th-century delicate perfumes, and bewitching Arabo-Andalusian cuisine, Fassi music. The truest way to experience gastronomy combines sweet with the Fassi art of living is to stay in savoury, treating fruits as vegetables one of the many riads in the heart of and making cunning use of a whole the medina, residences combining range of spices and condiments, modern comfort with an authentic including cumin, coriander, setting (architecture, patio and pepper, capsicum, and cinnamon - garden) and a warm welcome. all ingredients to be found in that Here, you will be immersed in Fassi mouth-watering local delicacy, tradition at its purest. The city also pigeon and almond pastilla. The boasts a wide selection of top-of- knack required for creating the the-line hotels, including the world feather-light flaky pastry that famous Palais Jamaï. covers the stuffing is a secret Fassi women pass down from mother to The culture of well-being daughter. The real highpoint of The Fassi art of living In Fez, with its many , Fassi cuisine, however, is Mrouzia, relies on the culture of spas and thermal springs, the culture a dish originally prepared especially well-being of well-being is apparent everywhere for Aïd-el-Adha (the sacrifice feast you look - the spellbinding world ) and making use of a unique blend of the Oriental dream! Hammams of spices known as Ras El Hanout and spas are an essential part of the (literally, “the top of the shop”), service in the city’s luxury riads and composed of between 35 and 45 hotels, introducing you to rituals of different spices from Morocco, the body and beauty care passed down Orient, and sub-Saharan Africa. 19

Subtle combination of sweet and savoury is one of the secrets underlying Fassi cuisine 20

Fassi craftwork: quality and true refinement

Master craftsmen with the initial lump of clay to first firing golden touch of the potter’s work, a whole series There are three basic principles of stages must be accomplished that Fassi craftsmen never depart before handing over the piece to from: love of work well done, its decorator, who adds his own nobility of materials selected, and floral and geometric motifs. Many full mastery of required know- of Morocco’s finest ceramics come how. It is a fascinating experience from the imperial city, instantly watching their hands at play in recognisable by their famous cobalt their tiny workshops and cramped blue, a unique colour obtained courtyards, creating items of such by mixing a number of different extraordinary quality with such ingredients in proportions that are apparent ease - the fruit of many kept a closely guarded secret. The centuries of inherited experience. dark green colour that distinguishes the tiles of the Qaraouiyine comes Fassi pottery is Pottery and the famous from a mixture of copper, sand, characterised by its “Fez blue” and lead oxide. A final firing at intricate motifs and Fassi craftsmen have been very high temperatures brings out famous cobalt blue producing enamelled ceramics the colours and waterproofs the colour since the 11th century. From finished item. 21

The extraordinary delicacy of Fassi craftsmen’s work is fully apparent in the zellij and carved stuccowork they create

Fez stitch embroidery This form of embroidery, unique larger than 2 millimetres across. for its double-face stitch, is a Fassi Fez stitch embroidery workshops speciality that has been around are famous for the high quality since the days of the Almohads. of their products, which include The technique, which is carried exquisitely decorated tablecloths, out entirely by hand, consists of doilies, napkins and shawls. embroidering each motif on either side of the fabric so that both faces are identical, with stitches no 22

Cultural Fez

The World Sacred Music Festival the shade of the stately Barbary and the Fez Encounters colloquium oak gracing the gardens of the Since its first airing in 1994, the Batha Museum. World Festival of Sacred Music, under the auspices of the “Esprit de Fez”, has Besides these two major events, met with a success that has reached far the “Esprit de Fez’ Foundation beyond the Kingdom’s frontiers. The is also behind the Jazz in Riads event offers a wide range of spiritual Festival, held in a selection of the music and songs, upholding the spirit medina’s palaces and residences of Fez as a cultural capital orchestrating and bringing together a whole host exchange between civilisations. It is of famous musicians. The festival recognised as one of the most important is an occasion for lovers of jazz to world music festivals anywhere, and better acquaint themselves with its was honoured by UNO in 2001 for African and Mediterranean roots. its major contribution to promotion of dialogue between cultures and religions. Held in October, the three-day Festival of Culinary Arts is a recent and unique A wide range of cultural events are on the Fassi As part of the event, and addition to the Moroccan calendar, calendar from one end of open to a wide public, the Fez focusing on a theme that binds all of the year to the other Encounters colloquium brings humanity together. Moroccan cuisine, together intellectuals, scientists like all the Kingdom’s arts, acts as a lever and humanists around a selected of dialogue between cultures, and the topic, and provides an occasion for event provides an opportunity for cuisines exchange, dialogue, and debate in of the world to show their colours. 23

A crossroads of musical cultures, Fez celebrates its timeless spirituality with the World Sacred Music Festival 24

Sporting Fez

The Fez Royal Golf Club ground for winkling out future Located 15 km along the road to lawn tennis champions. Set in Immouzzer, the Fez Royal Golf 7 hectares of lush greenery, the Club’s first-rate 18-hole course centre is equipped with state-of- makes its way through luxuriant the-art professional infrastructures olive groves with the peaks of that meet all the requirements for the Middle Atlas as a backdrop. top level play. Designed by architect Cabell B. Robinson, its naturally undulating The Ain Amyer Equestrian terrain has been accentuated to Centre provide steeply cambered fairways If you’re a horse-riding enthusiast, and insidiously sloping greens, Fez provides a whole range of and dotted with lakes and giant activities to choose from, whatever bunkers, the largest of which covers your particular interests or level some 1200m2. Amenities include of skills, including riding lessons, clubhouse, bar and restaurant, excursions, and full-scale treks The variety of landscapes and it is regarded as one of the through the region. The horse offered by the city’s natural Kingdom’s finest courses. moussem held at Tissa (45 km surroundings make them from Fez) by the Hyaynas tribes an ideal setting for all The Henri Leconte Academy pays well-deserved tribute to Arab kinds of outdoor activities The Henry Leconte International horses and the traditions that have Tennis Academy’s Royal Tennis grown up around them. Club (RTC) provides fertile

Fez Royal Golf Club 25

The city’s surroundings: springs and mountains

Fez lies on the Saiss Plain at the very Sidi Harazem edge of the Middle Atlas mountain Located just 15 km from Fez, this range, in a region that is a nature thermal spring has been known lover’s paradise. Its richly varied for its therapeutic properties since landscapes - lush green valleys, cedar the 16th century.. These days, forests, thermal springs, and yellow you can enjoy the waters in the ochre-toned mountainsides - provide comfort of a modern spa resort. opportunities for excursions of all And between glasses, pay a visit to kinds, to experience unimagined the nearby white Koubba of Sidi worlds beyond the reach of time. Harazem, where an ancient sacred pool, protected by a cupola, stands in the midst of eucalyptus, palm The best time to visit this historic spa trees and oleanders. town 20 km west of Fez is probably in spring, when reawakening nature transforms its surroundings into Sefrou is a small Berber town 30 an ocean of greenery. The town’s km south of Fez, known for its sulphurous hot waters have long been waterfalls and the diversity of the famed for curing rheumatisms and The mountains surrounding surrounding countryside. A major the city are famed for their other ailments, and its thermal baths farming centre, the town’s name thermal springs, and provide also offer a range of programmes has become synonymous with the opportunities for excursionsof designed to get you back on tip-top Cherry Festival that takes place there all kinds form. The resort has always been every June. A few kilometres away, popular among Moroccans, and in along a road that climbs through the 1930s, both André Gide and slopes dotted with olive trees, lies the Henry de Montherlant made good village of , celebrated for its use of its amenities. troglodyte cave dwellings. Imouzzer Kandar is a delightful little village thirty kilometres from Fez and standing some 1300 metres above sea level, enjoying a mild climate during the summer. A real haven of peace, the region is known for its fruit trees, and is a major producer of apples, walnuts, and figs. Its landscapes are well worth exploring, and such simple pleasures as trout fishing and mushroom gathering are yours to enjoy. 26

Information and useful addresses

Practical information Useful addresses and contacts Entry formalities Regional Tourist Office : A valid passport for a stay of less than 90 Avenue Mohamed V days is required. An identity card may Tel. : (00 212) 5 35 62 34 60 suffice, depending on country of origin, Fax : (00 212) 5 35 65 43 70 if the trip is organised by a travel agency for a group of over 3 people. A visa is Regional Tourism Council : required for some nationalities - enquire 89, avenue Allal Ben Abdellah at a Moroccan consulate or diplomatic Tel. : (00 212) 5 35 94 24 92 representation in you country. No Fax : (00 212) 5 35 65 01 88 specific vaccinations are required for entry into the Kingdom of Morocco. ONCF Railway station : If you are bringing your pet along with rue Imarate Arabia you, however, you will need to be able Call Center : 08 90 20 30 40 to produce an anti-rabies certificate less www.oncf.ma than 6 months old. Fez-Saiss Airport : Changing money Call center : 08 90 00 08 00 Moroccan currency is the dirham, made up of 100 centimes. Foreign currency Golf : Royal golf de Fez must be exchanged at banks or other www.golfdumaroc.com accredited establishments. Weather Forecast : Time zone www.meteoma.net Morocco is in the Greenwich time zone, and time is G.M.T. Office des Changes (Currency Regulator Authority): Event Calendar www.oc.gov.ma May : Fez World Sacred Music Festival July : Festival of Amazigh Culture Emergency phone numbers October : Fez Culinary Arts Festival Police 19 November : Fez Jazz Festival Fire Brigade 150 Directory enquiries 160 Road safety services 177

For further information: www.visitmorocco.com Photo credits: ONMT, Cécile Tréal & Jean-Michel Ruiz 27 Moroccan National Tourist Office www.visitmorocco.com