Must-see attractions in Fez

  • Top of every tourists list when visiting Fez seems to be a visit to the Chaouwara (Chouara) Tanneries. With the help of a guide you are taken into one of the many leather shops that surround the open air tanning pits and with some explanation of the dying process, you will also be encouraged to buy some leather products. It is a beautiful sight and worth a visit.

    Chouara Tannery

    Medina

    The largest of the medina's several tanneries, Chouara is one of the city’s most iconic sights (and smells). Operating since at least the 16th century,…

  • The Medersa Bou Inania is a madrasa in Fes, Morocco. Medersa Bou Inania is acknowledged as an excellent example of Marinid architecture.; Shutterstock ID 1066026653; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: POI image update

    Medersa Bou Inania

    Medina

    The most architecturally refined of Fez’s theological colleges was built by the Merinid sultan Bou Inan between 1351 and 1357. Beyond the massive brass…

  • Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts

    Medina

    In a wonderfully restored early-18th-century funduq (inn used by caravans), the former rooms for travelling merchants are given over to displays of fine…

  • Ben Danan Synagogue

    Fez

    Built in the 17th century to serve the megorashim (Jews descended from those expelled from Spain), this synagogue is trimmed in pretty herringbone green…

  • Jnan Sbil

    Fez

    These lush gardens are a breath of fresh air after the intensity of Fez's medina, and a good walking route between Bab Bou Jeloud and the mellah (Jewish…

  • Fez Medina

    Fez

    The largest car-free urban area in the world, Fez El Bali (Old Fez) is a warren of twisting lanes and centuries-old monuments and mosques. As well…

  • The date, fig and walnut stall next to the entrance of the Medersa El-Attarine deep in the ancient Medina of Fes, Morocco.

    Medersa El Attarine

    Medina

    Founded in 1325 in the heart of the medina, this school is a marvel of elegant mosaic tiles, magnificent cut plaster as fine as lace and beautiful…

  • Art Naji

    Fez

    If you're interested in how Fez's beautiful pottery and tiles are made, head to Ain Nokbi, a district just outside the medina where potters were relocated…

  • Fes, Royal Palace, Ville Nouvelle.

    Royal Palace

    Fez

    Unless you have a special invitation to the palace grounds, you'll have to settle for admiring its seven imposing front gates, surrounded by fine tilework…

  • Fez - view tombs of 5 Merenid

    Merinid Tombs

    Fez

    These 14th-century tombs are in a dramatic, advanced state of ruin. The real draw is the spectacular views over Fez and the mountains to the north. At…

  • American Fondouk

    Fez

    This nonprofit organisation, established in 1927, is dedicated to giving the working donkeys, mules and horses of the Fez medina a better life, with…

  • Mellah

    Fez

    In 1438 Sultan Ar Rashid created Morocco's first official Jewish district, just east of the royal palace. At its peak, some 250,000 Jews lived in the area…

  • Water Clock

    Medina

    The only traces of this ingenious medieval device, installed in 1357, are 13 wooden beams jutting from the wall above street level. Each held a brass bowl…

  • Henna Souq

    Medina

    One of the medina's oldest marketplaces and also one of its most pleasant, this souq is dominated by a graceful plane tree amid stalls selling pottery and…

  • Zawiya of Moulay Idriss II

    Medina

    Although it is in a mosque that's closed to non-Muslims, the tomb of Fez's founder (d. 828) is considered the spiritual heart of the city and is its most…

  • Musée du Batha

    Medina

    Awaiting official opening after a heavy renovation, this 19th-century summer palace has been a museum since 1915. The collection focuses on traditional…

  • Chemmaine-Sbitriyine Funduq

    Medina

    These two adjoining 13th-century fanadiq (inns used by caravans) have been thoroughly restored and host a number of artisans' workshops; of all the…

  • Palais Glaoui

    Medina

    This is a slightly odd opportunity to tour someone's home and personal art gallery, which also happens to be a deeply dilapidated 18th-century palace,…

  • Medersa Cherratine

    Medina

    It may not be as lavishly ornamented as the Bou Inania or the Attarine, but this 1670 Quranic school has the great benefits of being very large and little…

  • Rue des Mérinides

    Fez

    The most architecturally impressive street in the mellah (Jewish quarter) is Rue des Mérinides, lined with houses that are distinguished by their wooden…

  • Jewish cemetery in Fes, Morocco, North Africa

    Jewish Cemetery

    Fez

    This area of thousands of blindingly white tombs, all freshly painted in 2019, was established in 1883. You'll find the tombs of a few notables, such as…

  • Kairaouine Mosque & University

    Medina

    Established in 859, the Kairaouine is the spiritual heart of Fez and, arguably, all Morocco. It is also considered the world's oldest university, though…

  • Borj Nord

    Fez

    Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour built this fortress in 1582 to monitor the populace of Fez. Modelled on Italian forts, the building holds a display of European…

  • Bab Bou Jeloud

    Medina

    What's considered the 'front door' of the medina dates only from 1913, when the French punched a hole in the city wall and erected this grand triple…

  • Musée Belghazi

    Medina

    The dusty displays of silver jewellery are secondary to the experience of finding this mansion, down extra-winding lanes, and relaxing over tea in the…

  • Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed Tijani

    Medina

    Algeria-born Sidi Ahmed Tijani settled in Fez and established the Tijaniya order in the late 18th century. It's now the largest Sufi order in West Africa,…

  • Bou Jeloud Square

    Medina

    This square on the edge of the medina comes alive at dusk, when locals emerge to stroll and chat. Concerts and a few storytellers sometimes pop up here,…

  • Borj Sidi Bounafae

    Fez

    After a large restoration, this tower, built in 1550, was awaiting official reopening in 2019. The view from the ramparts helps put Fez El Jdid in…

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