Fez (FES)
Fez (FES) – Large city in the north of Morocco, located 62 km from Meknes, 300 km from Casablanca and 750 km from Agadir. Population – 1,008,782 people (2008).
This is the oldest of the four imperial cities of the country (Marrakesh, Meknes, Rabat), the largest in the west of Africa, the Center of Islamic Culture and Education.
FES is considered the pearl of Arab culture, religious and cultural center Morocco.
University of Al-Karaouine (University of Al-Karaouine) – Founded in 859, is one of the spiritual and educational centers of the Islamic world. Compilers of the Guinness Book Records Recognize «The world’s oldest permanent higher education institution». From the university’s walls, a number of scientists, philosophers and theologians, who have had a significant impact on the development of Muslim and world culture.
In 859, a mosque was founded on the funds from Tunisia, the mosque was founded, rapidly turned into a spiritual education center. Thanks to the patronage of Moroccan Sultanov, the university constantly expanded, covering all new areas of knowledge. In addition to theology, grammar, rhetoric, logic, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, history, geography and music have been studied.
In the Middle Ages, al-Kauin played a huge role in the development of cultural relations of Christian Europe and the Muslim East.
Kozhevannikov Schuara (Quartier Tanneeurs) – This urban quarter, where leather products are produced, a popular place among tourists. Here you can see the whole process of skin production according to the technology, which has been many centuries and which is transmitted from generation to generation in the families of artisans. What are alone alone stone chains, standing in the open-air and filled with natural dyes and tanned liquids, with which the skin is processed. The FESSION technology of leather is used for more than ten centuries, only natural substances are used here, without modern acid and alkaline solutions.
Craftsmen tram skin in the chains, becoming legs on her, and then placed in stacks, washed, pressed and dried under sunlight. After that, the skin is ready for the manufacture of famous marocan babies – the best marocan shoes.
There are shops with leather goods, with terraces of which you can watch the work of the masters of the masters. The masters have long been accustomed to constant attention from tourists and absolutely not react to cameras. For the entrance to the terrace you may require 10 DH, but if you buy something in the store, you can do without payment.
Aromas when stretching skin, to put it mildly, specific and require a certain addiction. Typically, tourists recommend sniffing mint to at least soften the strong smell that hits the nose.
Bow Inania Madrasa Madrasa – Muslim religious school based in 1350-1355.
This is the only madrasa in the city who has its own minaret. Bow Innia performed not only the role of the school, but also the role of mosque on Fridays. The peculiarity of the madrasa was that the shops were opened nearby, the income from which allowed to keep the school itself.
Bow Inania Madrasa is located in the part of the old city, which is adjacent to the new quarters. Inside there are courtyards, premises for prayer, room for study, enter which you can from the central courtyard.
The whole complex is richly decorated with carved wood, a mosaic processed by stone. The facade has a complex vintage water watcher system, a unique copy, preserved to this day.
Only a few of them are open to Visit Nemusulman, and Bow Innia – Among them.
Gate Bab-Bu Jeloud (Bab Bou Jeloud) – built in the early 20th century in Mauritan style. This impressive structure consists of three semicircular arches. The main color of Bab-bu-jelouse is a traditional white blue faces, a gate is decorated with a spectacular ornament with a vegetable pattern.
The main gates of Fez from the moment of construction carried mainly decorative function, and not defense, and are the most "new" compared to the rest of the city gates, which belong to the 18th century.
Dar Al-Magana (Dar Al-Magana) – The house with a clock is located next to the Madrasa Bow Innia. This interesting structure refers to the 14th century. On his facade you can see unique water clock, the mechanism of which consists of copper cups and wood blocks. However, the principle of operation of hours is still not recognized, and they failed to repair them after breakdown.
The settlement on the eastern shore of the FES River was based OK. 789 g. Idris I, on the opposite side of the river – 20 years later, his son Idris II, who made Fes the capital of the state of Idrisida.
Almoravids in the XI century combined both parts of the city, and at Almhadah at the end of the XII century, FES became one of the largest (if not the biggest) city of the entire Islamic world.
In the middle of the XIV century, Maritics restored the FES as the capital of Morocco and decorated it with new buildings.
The city of Fes consists of three districts:
Fes El Bali (Fes El Bali) – Old Medina, surrounded by medieval wall. One of the largest pedestrian zones in the world. Founded between 789 and 808 years.NS. Is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
This medieval city with a labyrinth from almost ten thousand narrow streets, preserved almost in its original form. The detailed map of the medina does not exist, and it is quite difficult to focus here – the numerous streets and alley of the medina, the total length of which exceeds 70 kilometers, is the most real labyrinth, and many of them, besides end with dead end.
Medina is surrounded by powerful fortress walls, and fall into the city through the gate, the main of which are the gate of Bab-bu-jelud.
Fes El Jdid (Fes El Jdid) – The second medina, was founded by marinids in 1276 as a supplement to Fes-El Bali. This area is overwhelmed by the monuments of the era of the Maritics.
NEW FES – laid in 1916 by the Marshal Uber Lyotem in accordance with the principles of European urban planning.
