Fes is Morocco’s spiritual and intellectual capital a city that has remained almost unchanged for over a thousand years. The medina of Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the world’s largest car-free urban area and one of the most extraordinary places on earth. Getting lost here is not a mishap it’s the entire point.
Chouara Tannery Hay Lablida, Fes el-Bali
One of the oldest leather tanneries in the world and Fes’s most iconic sight. Watch artisans dye leather in stone vats of saffron, poppy and indigo using methods unchanged since the 11th century best viewed from the surrounding leather shop terraces.
Merenid Tombs Northern Hills, above Fes
Climb above the city to these ancient hillside ruins for the most breathtaking panoramic view of Fes. Best visited at sunset when the call to prayer echoes across the rooftops of 10,000 houses below.
Al-Qarawiyyin University Bou Inania, Fes el-Bali
Founded in 859 AD, Al-Qarawiyyin is recognized as the world’s oldest continuously operating university. The adjacent mosque is one of Morocco’s most sacred a profound piece of living history at the heart of the medina.
Bou Inania Madrasa Talaa Kebira, Fes el-Bali
The finest example of Marinid architecture in Morocco. Every surface carved stucco, gilded wood, marble floors is a testament to the extraordinary artistic ambition of 14th-century Moroccan craftsmen.
