Fès el-Bali: Getting Lost in the World's Oldest University City

Fez: Morocco's Spiritual Capital
Fez is often called the "Rome of Morocco". Founded by Idris I in 789 AD, it was for centuries the intellectual and religious capital of the Maghreb. Its medina, Fès el-Bali, is the largest living Arab medina in the world — inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1981.

The Medina: 9,000 Alleyways and Zero Cars
Entering Fès el-Bali through Bab Boujloud (the Blue Gate) is like crossing a threshold in time. Mules are still the main transport here. No car can navigate most of the lanes — some are so narrow (80 cm wide) that you press yourself against the wall to let a cart pass.

The labyrinth is dizzying. Over three days I got lost six times — and it was consistently the best thing that happened to me: a marble fountain hidden behind a gate, a calligraphy workshop, a grocer selling olive preserves made to the same recipe since 1953.

The Bou Inania Madrasa and the Karaouiyine Mosque
The Bou Inania Madrasa (14th century) is a masterpiece of Marinid architecture: white carved stucco, polychrome zelliges, cedarwood hand-carved by craftsmen who sometimes spent a decade on a single panel. The acoustics are perfect — a word whispered in one corner carries to the other end of the courtyard.

The Karaouiyine Mosque is the oldest continuously operating university in the world (founded 859 AD). Closed to non-Muslims, but its open doors reveal glimpses of the prayer carpets and central fountains.

The Chouara Tanneries
The Chouara Tanneries are arguably Morocco's most photographed view. From the terraces of surrounding leather shops, you look down into a circle of dye vats — crimson madder, saffron yellow, indigo blue, lime white — where men work waist-deep in the baths from dawn. The smell is pungent (pigeon urine is used to soften leather, a millennia-old process). Fresh mint sprigs are handed out at the entrance.

Fassie Cuisine
The cuisine of Fez is regarded as the most refined in Morocco:

Bastilla with pigeon: sweet-savoury puff pastry with cinnamon and almonds

Rfissa: chicken with fenugreek and msemen (layered pancakes)

Harira: tomato, legume and coriander soup

Chebakia: honey-sesame pastry, especially popular during Ramadan

Tips for Visiting Fez

Hire an official guide for the first half-day — you will save three hours of wandering aimlessly

Climb the Merenid Tombs hill at sunset for the panoramic view over the entire medina

Stay in a medina riad — some date back to the 18th century

Avoid July–August (extreme heat); prefer March–May or September–October