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Abou Bakr Ibn Arabi Mausoleum
Abou Bakr ibn Arabi arrived in Fez from Seville in the 11th century. An ala (learned man) and an imam, he was on a pilgrimage to meet all of the renowned ulama (Islamic scholars) of his day. So taken was he with the learned atmosphere of Fez that he returned here after his trip. When he died, the Fassis built this mausoleum with its green-tiled dome to honour his memory. You'll find it just outside the medina ramparts, to the east of Bab Sagma.
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Achebine Souk
This street formerly housed traditional medicine shops; there's one left, with jars of snakeskins, birds in cages, live chameleons, gazelle horns and skins on the walls. Nowadays it's a bird market - locals buy chickens and turkeys, doves and pigeons. There are lots of food stands here and the air is thick with smoke from kefta (spiced meatballs of lamb or beef) kebabs being grilled.
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Ain Khaïl Mosque
Where can a camel pass under a minaret? If you know the answer to this question, you're a true Fassi. This 11th-century mosque has an octagonal minaret built over the street. The Sufi philosopher Ibn el-Arabi (1165-1240) is said to have seen a mystical vision of intense light here. A few years ago, a badly degraded house collapsed into the prayer-hall, killing 12 men. The mosque is not in use and funding has been applied for from the EU's Euromed Heritage Programme to restore it.
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Al-Oued Mosque
The rectangular courtyard of this 18th-century mosque is home to an assortment of fruit trees, and once had a stretch of the Masmouda River flowing through it (this was covered last century). The mosque itself, which is also known as the Lranja Mosque, was constructed over the ruins of the Merinid-era Al-Oued Medersa (River Medersa).
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Attarine Gates
There are massive wooden gates at the bottom of Talaa Kebira opposite the entrance to the Attarine Medersa. There used to be gates within the medina closing off every neighbourhood; these are the only intact ones left that are still closed at night, at around .
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Attarine Medersa
Closed for extensive renovation at the time of writing but due to open early in 2008 ( ensha'llah , or God Willing), this medersa at the bottom of Talaa Kebira was built between 1323 and 1325. A favourite of students coming to study in Fez, it has unique square pillars around a zellij- floored courtyard with a marble fountain and a prayer-hall with a carved-wood dome, as well as Iraqi glass behind carved-plaster latticework 'windows'.
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Attarine Souks
There's a cluster of souks just off the Talaa that are worth exploring. Coming from Bab Bou Jeloud, the first is Souk Triba, meaning 'square in shape', with a small orange tree and some cosmetic and electronic shops. Walk through to Souk Tallis where sacks for wool and wheat were sold. Now there's a carpet stall and several shops selling cloth for jellabas (cloak with a hood) - though many of the shops are now closed.
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Bab Bou Jeloud
Everyone comes through this main gate at some point during their stay as it leads to a clutch of restaurants and the main shopping streets. Decorated with blue zellij on the outside and green on the inside, it's relatively young - only 200 years old. The Tourist Police Brigade has its headquarters here.
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Bab Fettouh
After the death of Prince Ibn Ateya Senhai in the 11th century, his two sons divided responsibility for ruling the city. Fettouh, the eldest, who ruled the Al-Andalous quarter, erected this handsome gate and named it after himself. It was rebuilt by the Alawites in the 18th century. Opposite the gate is the Bab Fettouh Cemetery
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Bab Guissa
This gate was built in the 12th century. A bird market is held here on Friday mornings, outside the walls. Just inside the gate is a square with a large fountain, the Bab Guissa mosque and the medersa which is still in use today. The air is scented with cedarwood from the large number of carpentry workshops in the area.
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Bab Semmarine
This 13th-century gateway was originally called Uyune Sanhaja (the Springs of Sanhaja) in honour of an important Moroccan Berber tribe. Built to house the storage silos of the Merenid city, it was modified in the 20th century to facilitate traffic and people movement. On its eastern side is one of the city's main produce souks.
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Baghdadi Square
The local tourism authorities like to spruik this square as being the local equivalent of Marrakesh's Djemaa el-Fna. This is wishful thinking on their part, but the square is worthy of an early evening wander during festival periods, when it's colonised by street entertainers and hawkers selling traditional remedies.
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Batha
It's real name is Pl de l'Independence but it's generally called 'Batha' and is one of the main entrances to the medina, with parking and taxis. On the square are Café Firdaous and La Maison Bleue , as well as Dar Mekaour, where Morocco's Independence Manifesto was signed in 1944.
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Batha Museum
This building, Sultan Moulay Abd al-Aziz's summer palace, was completed at the end of the 19th century. Converted into a museum in 1916, it houses mostly 18th-century Fassi items, including musical instruments, embroidery, clothing and jewellery, as well as carpets from the Middle Atlas Berber tribes. Of note is the 10th-century minbar (pulpit) from the Al Andalous Mosque. The signage describing the artefacts is in French and Arabic.
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Belghazi Museum
This private museum is housed in a magnificent riad with a shady tea garden in the courtyard. The four main salons have jewellery, weapons and embroidery, and smaller rooms contain writing implements, manuscripts and musical instruments. Upstairs there's a gallery selling similar pieces, and to top it off there's a roof terrace with excellent views of the medina.
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Blacksmith
One of the last blacksmiths working in the traditional way, Tayeb el-Mendri fashions wrought-iron window screens and balcony inserts in curly arabesque designs using a coal fire, bellows and an anvil.
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Bou Inania Medersa
Built between 1350 and 1356, this medersa is one of the most important sites in Fez. It was restored a few years ago. Inside the massive carved brass doors is a restful marble-floored space with central fountain, carved cedarwood mashrabiya panels screening the students' cells, very fine zellij and intricately carved plaster. Look out for the mihrab (niche indicating direction of Mecca) with its beautiful ceiling and the onyx marble columns.
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Bou Jeloud Gardens
Fassis were overjoyed when Moulay Hassan opened these 18th-century gardens (also known as Jnane Sbil) to the public in the 19th century. They have flocked here ever since to admire the ornamental plantings, relax under perfumed orange trees and wander along the banks of tributaries of the Oued Fez. The gardens were being renovated at the time of research.
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Boulevard Boukhsissat
The picturesque buildings that line this street date from the period of the French Mandate. Cream-coloured and with brown-painted balconies, they were designed to provide housing on the 1st floor and shops on the ground floor, an arrangement that continues to this day.
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Central Market
Popularly known as the Marché Centrale, this is where serious cooks come to buy their provisions. You won't find any piped music, trolleys or checkout girls with attitude here; instead you'll observe friendly stall owners arranging teetering pyramids of freshly picked vegetables, laying out glistening rows of fish and wielding bloody cleavers in the somewhat confronting meat section.
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Chemmaine Souk
Near the Kairaouine Mosque, this was once the place to buy candles. It's now resplendent with colourful embroidered velvet outfits for weddings and circumcisions, wedding chairs, fezzes and, curiously, lots of dried-fruit and nut stalls. The Chemmaine Funduq is in bad disrepair and is not open to the public.
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Chouwara Tanneries
In this, the largest of the tanneries, workers treat, scrape and dye animal skins in a series of pits. The dyes are mostly made of plants such an indigo and poppies. A walk along Derb Chouwara will result in numerous invitations to terraces from shop-owners and their touts, where you'll get a good view of the pits. Mint leaves ward off the smell!
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Chrabliyine Mosque
This must be the prettiest minaret in town. Around the mosque there's a fountain, a medersa with good mashrabiya (intricate carved wood) panels at street level and windows above the street, and an ablution facility. Chrabliyine means 'the street of the slipper-makers'.
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Dar Adiyel
The wealthy Adiyel family were merchants who held top government posts, and this impressive 18th-century house belonged to Abdelkhaleq Adiyel, the governor of Fez. Restored in 1993 with funds from the Italian government, it is now a conservatory for Moroccan-Andalusian music. Students give concerts at Monday to Thursday at no extra charge.
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Dar Ba Mohamed Ben Chergui
This magnificent place belonged to a previous pasha of Fez, Ba Mohamed Ben Chergui. There are two houses in the complex - one the main house for the men, the other the harem. The harem has a remarkable garden made of raised star-shaped flower beds. Inside, the hammam is worth a visit, and look out for the black-and-white photograph of the last pasha to live there. It's all decaying badly, though the complex is up for sale.
