View source for Place:Fez, Morocco

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  | alt2a = The gates of the Royal Palace
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| image_caption      = '''From the top down:'''<br /> [[Organization:University of al-Qarawiyyin|Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque/University]], gates of the Royal Palace, and Fes el Bali {{aka}} the Medina of Fez.
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| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Morocco}}
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| subdivision_name1  = Fès-Meknès
| established_title  = Founded<!-- Settled -->
| established_date   = 789
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| founder            = Idrisid dynasty
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| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="L34">[https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=601411&cityname=Fez-Morocco "Fez, Morocco"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807130235/https://weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=601411&cityname=Fez-Morocco |date=2020-08-07 }} ''Weatherbase.''</ref>
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| population_rank    = 2nd in Morocco
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| population_blank2_title = Demonym
| population_blank2  = Fassi
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| footnotes          = {{designation list | embed = yes
| designation1            = WHS
| designation1_offname    = Medina of Fez
| designation1_date       = 1981
| designation1_number     = <ref>{{cite web |author=|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/170 |title=Medina of Fez – UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=Whc.unesco.org |access-date=2017-09-20 |archive-date=2017-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919192617/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/170 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| designation1_criteria   = iii, iv
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'''Fez''' or '''Fes''' ({{IPAc-en|f|ɛ|z}}; {{lang-ar|فاس|fās}}; {{lang-zgh|ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ|fizaz}}; {{lang-fr|Fès}}) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 million, according to the 2014 census.<ref name="census">{{cite web |url=http://rgph2014.hcp.ma/file/165548/ |title=Note sur les premiers résultats du Recensement Général de la Population et de l'Habitat 2014 |language=fr |publisher=High Commission for Planning |page=8 |date=20 March 2015 |access-date=9 October 2017 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107134710/http://www.rgph2014.hcp.ma/file/165548/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Located to the northwest of the Atlas Mountains, it is surrounded by hills and the old city is centered around the Fez River (''Oued Fes'') flowing from west to east. Fez has been called the "[[Place:Mecca|Mecca]] of the West" and the "[[Place:Athens|Athens]] of Africa". It is also considered the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco.

Founded under Idrisid rule during the 8th–9th centuries [[Common Era|CE]], Fez initially consisted of two autonomous and competing settlements. Successive waves of mainly Arab immigrants from [[Place:Ifriqiya|Ifriqiya]] (Tunisia) and al-Andalus ({{wipe|Spain}}/Portugal) in the early 9th century gave the nascent city its Arab character. After the downfall of the Idrisid dynasty, other empires came and went until the 11th century when the Almoravid [[Religion:Sultan|Sultan]] Yusuf ibn Tashfin united the two settlements into what is today's Fes el-Bali quarter ({{Aka}} Medina of Fez). Under Almoravid rule, the city gained a reputation for religious scholarship and mercantile activity.

Fez reached its zenith in the Marinid era (13th–15th centuries), regaining its status as political capital. Numerous new [[Engineering:Madrasa|madrasa]]s and [[Engineering:Mosque|mosque]]s were constructed, many of which survive today, while other structures were restored. These buildings are counted among the hallmarks of Moorish and Moroccan architectural styles. In 1276 the Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub also founded the royal administrative district of Fes Jdid ((<small>[[Literal translation|lit.]] </small>'New Fez'), where the Royal Palace (Dar al-Makhzen) is still located today, to which extensive gardens were later added. During this period the Jewish population of the city grew and the Mellah (Jewish quarter) was formed on the south side of this new district. After the overthrow of the Marinid dynasty, the growth of Fez stalled and the city subsequently competed with Marrakesh for political and cultural influence. It became the capital again under the 'Alawi dynasty up until 1912.

The city consists of two old [[Engineering:Medina quarter|medina quarter]]s, Fes el-Bali and Fes Jdid, and the much larger modern urban {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}} area founded during the French colonial era. The medina of Fez is listed as a World Heritage Site and is one of the world's largest and oldest urban pedestrian zones (car-free areas). It contains the [[Organization:University of al-Qarawiyyin|University of al-Qarawiyyin]] which was founded in 857 and is the oldest continuously functioning institute of higher education in the world. It also contains the Chouara Tannery from the 11th century, one of the oldest tanneries in the world.

== Etymology ==
The name of the city in [[Social:Arabic|Arabic]] is {{lang|ar|فاس}} ''Fās'' (or {{lang|ar|ڢاس}} in traditional Maghrebi script), from which the English names Fez, Fès, and Fas are derived. According to some traditions, the city's name comes from the Arabic word {{lang|ar|فأس}} ''Faʾs'', meaning [[Engineering:Pickaxe|pickaxe]]. Various legends have been reported to explain this etymology. One tells the story of a gold pickaxe found on site during the city's construction, while another claims that Idris I used a silver and gold pickaxe to dig alongside his workers.<ref name="Gaudio-1982">{{Cite book |last=Gaudio |first=Attilio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yczpWGhXj2kC |title=Fès: Joyau de la civilisation islamique |publisher=Les Presses de l'Unesco: Nouvelles Éditions Latines |year=1982 |isbn=2-7233-0159-1 |location=Paris |language=fr |access-date=2021-11-17}}</ref>{{Rp|26}}<ref name="Bressolette-2016">{{Cite book |last=Bressolette |first=Henri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kNzeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |title=A la découverte de Fès |publisher=L'Harmattan |year=2016 |isbn=978-2-343-09022-1 |location= |pages= |chapter=Fondation de Fès El Bali par Idriss Ier et Idriss II |access-date=2021-11-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=|first=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC|title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia|date=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-919-5|editor-last=Dumper|editor-first=Michael R. T.|page=151|editor-last2=Stanley|editor-first2=Bruce E.}}</ref> Another account reported by Ibn Abi Zar claims that an ancient city named "Sef" had previously existed on the site and that Idris I reversed the letters of this name to create the name "Fes".<ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|26–27}}<ref name="Bressolette-2016" />

During the rule of the Idrisid dynasty (788 to 974), Fez consisted of two cities: ''Fās'', founded by Idris I,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Place Names in Africa: Colonial Urban Legacies, Entangled Histories|last=Bigon|first=Liora|date=2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-32485-2|page=83|language=en}}</ref> and ''al-ʿĀliyá'', founded by his son, Idris II. During this period the capital city was known as ''al-ʿĀliyá'', with the name ''Fās'' being reserved for the separate site on the other side of the river; no Idrisid coins have been found with the name Fez, only ''al-ʿĀliyá'' and ''al-ʿĀliyá Madinat Idris''. It is not known whether the name ''al-ʿĀliyá'' ever referred to both urban areas. The two cities were united in 1070 and the name ''Fās'' was used for the combined site.<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Meara |first=Simon M. |url=https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/348/1/uk_bl_ethos_426809.pdf |title=An architectural investigation of Marinid Wattasid Fes Medina (674–961/1276–1554) in terms of gender, legend and law |publisher=University of Leeds |year=2004 |pages=19–20 |language=en |type=PhD thesis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102071616/http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/348/1/uk_bl_ethos_426809.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2018}}</ref>

==History==
{{For timeline|Timeline of Fez}}

=== Foundation and the Idrisids ===
[[File:Fes.JPG|thumb|View of Fes el-Bali and the [[Engineering:Minaret|minaret]] of the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, which commemorates Idris II, one of the founders of Fez|left|alt=refer to caption]]
The city was first founded in 789 as ''Madinat Fas'' on the southeast bank of the Jawhar River (now known as the Fez River) by Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty. Idris I was an Hasanid Sharif from [[Place:Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]] who was forced to flee the [[Place:Hejaz|Hejaz]] after a failed revolt against the [[Place:Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid Caliphate]], eventually moving to northern Morocco and conquereing much of the area.<ref name=":0">''A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period'', Jamil M. Abun-Nasr, 1987, pp. 51–52</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fage |first1=J. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bs0tAQAAIAAJ |title=The Cambridge History of Africa |last2=Clark |first2=Desmond J. |last3=Oliver |first3=Roland |date=1975 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-20981-6 |page=526 |language=en}}</ref> His son, Idris II,<ref name="Fes-2007b">"Fes". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. 2007. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. 3 Mar. 2007</ref> built a settlement called ''al-ʿĀliyá'' on the opposing river bank in 809 and moved his capital here from Walili (Volubilis).<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|35}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|35}}<ref name="Rivet-2012">{{Cite book |last=Rivet |first=Daniel |title=Histoire du Maroc: de Moulay Idrîs à Mohammed VI |publisher=Fayard |year=2012 |language=fr}}</ref>{{Rp|83}} The early population was composed mostly of Berbers, along with hundreds of Arab warriors from Kairouan who made up Idris II's entourage.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|35, 41}}<ref name="Rivet-2012" />{{Rp|82}}

Arab immigration to Fez increased afterwards. Andalusi families of mixed Arab and [[Place:Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] descent,<ref>{{Google books |id=6tFvlaM1LmgC |pages=55, 463 |title=The Places Where Men Pray Together }}</ref> who were expelled from Córdoba after a rebellion in 817–818 against al-Hakam I, were one major component of the immigrant population. These families mainly settled in ''Madinat Fas''.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|46–47}} These two waves of immigrants gave the city its Arabic character and would subsequently give their name to the districts of {{Ill|'Adwat Al-Andalus|ar|عدوة الأندلسيين|italic=y}} and {{Ill|'Adwat al-Qarawiyyin|ar|عدوة القرويين|italic=y}}.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987b">{{Cite book|last1=Abun-Nasr|first1=Jamil M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdlKbZ46YYkC&q=moinier+hiba&pg=PA370|title=A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period |date=1987|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-33767-0|language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|51}} The city also had a prominent Jewish community, probably consisting of Zenata Berbers who had previously converted to [[Religion:Judaism|Judaism]], as well as a small remaining [[Religion:Christianity|Christian]] population for a time. The Jews were especially concentrated in a northeastern district of ''al-ʿĀliyá'', known as ''Funduq el-Yihoudi'' (near the present-day Bab Guissa gate).<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|42–44}}

[[File:2008-03-25 Universität al-Qarawīyīn.jpg|left|thumb|Interior of the Qarawiyin Mosque, founded in 859|alt=refer to caption]]
Following the death of Idris II in 828 the region was divided among his sons. The eldest, Muhammad, received Fez, but some of his brothers attempted to break away from his leadership, resulting in an internecine conflict. Although the Idrisid realm was eventually reunified and enjoyed a period of peace under Ali ibn Muhammad and Yahya ibn Muhammad, it fell into decline again in the late 9th century.<ref name="Eustache-2012">{{Cite book|last=Eustache|first=D.|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd|publisher=Brill|year=2012|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|chapter=Idrīsids|editor-last2=Bianquis|editor-first2=Th.|editor-last3=Bosworth|editor-first3=C.E.|editor-last4=van Donzel|editor-first4=E.|editor-last5=Heinrichs|editor-first5=W.P.}}</ref>

[[File:الأنيس المطرب بروض القرطاس في أخبار ملوك المغرب وتاريخ مدينة فاس (page 10 crop).jpg|thumb|A page from a 16th century manuscript of ''Rawḍ al-Qirṭās'', a book about the history of Fes under the Idrisids, Banu Zanata, Almoravids, Almohads and Marinids.<ref>{{Citation |last=Witkam |first=Jan Just |title=Inventory of the Oriental Manuscripts of the Library of the University of Leiden |date=2007 |url=http://www.islamicmanuscripts.info/inventories/leiden/or01000.pdf |publisher=Ter Lugt Press |access-date=2023-05-23 |archive-date=2023-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528191206/http://www.islamicmanuscripts.info/inventories/leiden/or01000.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:3324568|title=Anīs al-Muṭrib bi-Rawḍat al-Qirṭās fī akhbār mulūk al-Maġrib wa-Madīnat Fās – Or. 17 &#124; Digital Collections|hdl=1887.1/item:3324568 }}</ref>|alt=refer to caption]]
In the 10th century, the city was contested by the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba and the [[Religion:Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid Caliphate]] of [[Place:Ifriqiya|Ifriqiya]] (Tunisia), who ruled the city through a host of Zenata clients.<ref name="Rivet-2012" />{{Rp|88–91}}<ref name="Eustache-2012" /><ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987c" />{{Rp|63–64, 74–75}} The Fatimids took the city in 927 and expelled the Idrisids definitively, after which their Miknasa (one of the Zenata tribes) were installed there. The city, along with much of northern Morocco, continued to change hands between the proxies of Córdoba and the proxies of the Fatimids for many decades. Following another successful invasion by Buluggin ibn Ziri in 979 and a brief period of Fatimid control, the forces of Al-Mansur of Cordoba managed to retake the region again, expelling the Fatimids permanently.<ref name="Eustache-2012" /> From 980 (or from 986<ref name="Le Tourneau-2012">{{Cite book|last1=Le Tourneau|first1=Roger|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd|last2=Terrasse|first2=Henri|publisher=Brill|year=2012|isbn=|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|location=|pages=|chapter=Fās|editor-last2=Bianquis|editor-first2=Th.|editor-last3=Bosworth|editor-first3=C.E.|editor-last4=van Donzel|editor-first4=E.|editor-last5=Heinrichs|editor-first5=W.P.}}</ref><ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />), Fez was ruled by a Zenata dynasty from the Maghrawa tribe, who were allies of the Caliphate of Córdoba. They maintained this control even after the Caliphate's collapse in the early 11th century and until the arrival of the Almoravids.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|16}}<ref name="Le Tourneau-2012" /><ref name="Rivet-2012" />{{Rp|91}}

Fez continued to grow under Zenata control, even though conflicts between its two settlements, ''Madinat Fas'' and ''al-ʿĀliyá'', flared up during periods of political rivalry. Ziri ibn Atiyya, the first ruler of the new dynasty, had a troubled reign.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|50}} However, Ibn Atiyya's descendant Dunas ibn Hamama, ruling between 1037 and 1049, was responsible for improving the city's infrastructure.<ref name="Madani-1999">{{Cite journal|last=Madani|first=Tariq|date=1999|title=Le réseau hydraulique de la ville de Fès|journal=Archéologie islamique|volume=8–9|pages=119–142}}</ref> He developed much of Fez's water supply system, which has largely survived up to the present day.<ref name="Madani-1999"/><ref name="Marcos Cobaleda-2018">{{Cite journal|last1=Marcos Cobaleda|first1=Maria|last2=Villalba Sola|first2=Dolores|date=2018|title=Transformations in medieval Fez: Almoravid hydraulic system and changes in the Almohad walls|journal=The Journal of North African Studies|volume=23|issue=4|pages=591–623|doi=10.1080/13629387.2017.1371596|s2cid=219625871}}</ref> Other structures built in his time included hammams (bathhouses), mosques, and the first bridges over the Oued Bou Khrareb (mostly rebuilt in later eras).<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|51}}<ref name="Madani-1999"/><ref name="Gaillard-1905a">{{Cite book|last=Gaillard|first=Henri|url=https://archive.org/details/unevilledelisla00gailgoog|title=Une ville de l'Islam: Fès|publisher=J. André|year=1905|location=Paris|pages=[https://archive.org/details/unevilledelisla00gailgoog/page/n55 32]}}</ref><ref name="Tourisme Fès-2021">{{cite web|title=La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès|url=http://visitefes.com/la-magnifique-renovation-des-27-monuments-de-fes/|access-date=2020-03-31|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2021-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227004933/http://visitefes.com/la-magnifique-renovation-des-27-monuments-de-fes/|url-status=live}}</ref> The two cities became increasingly integrated: the open space between the two was filled up by new houses and up to six bridges across the river allowed for easier passage between them.<ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|36}} A decade after Dunas, between 1059 and 1061, the two cities were ruled separately by two brothers who were rival Zenata [[Religion:Emir|emir]]s that fought with each other: ''al-ʿĀliyá'' was controlled by an emir named Al-Gisa and ''Madinat Fas'' was controlled by Al-Fetouh. Both brothers fortified their respective shores, and their names have been preserved in two of the city's gates to this day: Bab Guissa (or Bab Gisa) in the north and Bab Ftouh in the south.<ref name="Gaillard-1905b" />{{Rp|31}}<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|50, 53, 110}}

=== Almoravids, Almohads and Marinids ===
In 1069–1070 (or possibly a few years later<ref name="Le Tourneau-2012" />), Fez was conquered by the [[Place:Almoravid dynasty|Almoravids]] under Yusuf ibn Tashfin. In the same year of this conquest, Yusuf ibn Tashfin unified ''Madinat Fas'' and ''al-ʿĀliyá'' into one city. The walls dividing them were destroyed, bridges connecting them were built or renovated, and a new circuit of walls was constructed that encompassed both cities. A ''kasbah'' (Arabic term for "citadel") was built at the western edge of the city (just west of Bab Bou Jeloud today) to house the city's governor and garrison.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|53}}<ref name="Marcos Cobaleda-2018"/> Although the capital was moved to Marrakesh under the Almoravids, Fez acquired a reputation for Maliki legal scholarship and remained an important centre of trade and industry.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|52–54}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|17–18}} Almoravid impact on the city's structure was such that Yusuf ibn Tashfin is sometimes considered to be the second founder of Fez.<ref>{{Google books |id=Rfxoq5MzHa4C |title=The Almoravids and the Meanings of Jihad|pages=43, 51 }}</ref>
[[File:Fes medina walls DSCF3737.jpg|thumb|Remains of the city walls on the north side of Fes el-Bali, which were rebuilt during the Almohad period (12th-13th century)|alt=refer to caption]]
In 1145 the [[Place:Almohad Caliphate|Almohad]] leader Abd al-Mu'min besieged and conquered the city during the Almohad overthrow of the Almoravids. Due to the ferocious resistance they encountered from the local population, the Almohads demolished the city's fortifications.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|55}}<ref name="Marcos Cobaleda-2018"/> However, due to Fez's continuing economic and military importance, the Almohad [[Religion:Caliphate|caliph]] Ya'qub al-Mansur ordered the reconstruction of the ramparts.<ref name="Gaillard-1905b">{{Cite book|last=Gaillard|first=Henri|url=https://archive.org/details/unevilledelisla01gailgoog|title=Une ville de l'Islam: Fès|publisher=J. André|year=1905|location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|36}}<ref name="Marcos Cobaleda-2018"/>{{Rp|606}} The walls were completed by his successor Muhammad al-Nasir in 1204,<ref name="Gaillard-1905b"/>{{Rp|36}} giving them their definitive shape and establishing the perimeter of Fes el-Bali to this day.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|56}}<ref name="Marcos Cobaleda-2018"/><ref name="Métalsi-2003b">{{Cite book|last=Métalsi|first=Mohamed|title=Fès: La ville essentielle|publisher=ACR Édition Internationale|year=2003|isbn=978-2-86770-152-8|location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|19}} The Almohads built the Kasbah Bou Jeloud on the site of the former Almoravid kasbah<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|56}} and also built the first kasbah occupying the site of the current Kasbah an-Nouar.<ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|72}}<ref name="Gaillard-1905b"/>{{Rp|109}} Not all the land within the city walls was densely inhabited; much of it was still relatively open and was occupied by crops and gardens used by the inhabitants.<ref name="Métalsi-2003b"/>{{Rp|19}} During the 12th century, the city was one of the largest in the world,<ref name=":2">{{Google books |id=hEvCpNW2qBwC |title=Morocco 2009|page=252 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Roth |first=Norman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8edQAwAAQBAJ&dq=Fez+largest+cities+in+the+world&pg=PA479 |title=Medieval Jewish Civilization: An Encyclopedia |date=2014-04-08 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-77155-2 |language=en}}</ref> with an estimated population of 200,000.<ref name=":2" /> By 1200, Fez and Cairo had probably become the largest Muslim cities.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Coatsworth |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rBh2BgAAQBAJ&dq=By+1200%2C+Fez+and+Cairo+had+probably+become+the+largest+Muslim+cities&pg=PA267 |title=Global Connections |last2=Cole |first2=Juan |last3=Hanagan |first3=Michael P. |last4=Perdue |first4=Peter C. |last5=Tilly |first5=Charles |last6=Tilly |first6=Louise |date=2015-03-16 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-19189-0 |language=en}}</ref>[[File:Medersa Bouinania (588782572).jpg|left|thumb|The Bou Inania Madrasa, the most important madrasa built by the Marinids in Fes (14th century)|alt=Interior facade of Bou Inania Madrasa in daylight]]

In 1250, Fez regained its status as the capital under the Marinid dynasty. The city reached its golden age in the Marinid period.<ref name="O'Meara-2004">{{Cite book|last=O'Meara|first=Simon M.|url=http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/348/1/uk_bl_ethos_426809.pdf|title=An architectural Investigation of Marinid and Wattasid Fes Medina (674–961/1276–1554), in Terms of Gender, Legend, and Law|publisher=University of Leeds|year=2004|isbn=|location=|pages=|access-date=2012-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102071616/http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/348/1/uk_bl_ethos_426809.pdf|archive-date=2018-11-02|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|16}}<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|61–78}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|20}} In 1276, an anti-Marinid revolt resulted in a massacre of the Jewish community that was stopped by the intervention of the ruler Abu Yusuf Ya'qub.<ref>{{Google books |id=1eqtODKlq1cC |page=459 |title=Roudh el-Kartas: Histoire des souverains du Maghreb }}</ref><ref name="Rguig-2014" /> Following the revolt, Abu Yusuf Yaqub founded Fes Jdid as the new administrative and military centre. Under the Marinids, many of the principal monuments in the medina were built and the city established its reputation as an important intellectual centre.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|61–78}}<ref>{{Google books |id=9JQ3AAAAIAAJ |pages=605, 896 |title=Encyclopedia of Islam }}</ref> Between 1271 and 1357 seven [[Engineering:Madrasa|madrasa]]s were built, which are among the best examples of Moroccan architecture and some of the most richly decorated monuments in Fez.<ref name="Marçais-1954">{{Cite book|last=Marçais|first=Georges|title=L'architecture musulmane d'Occident|publisher=Arts et métiers graphiques|year=1954|location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|285–289, 291–293}}<ref name="Touri-2010" /><ref name="Kubisch-2011" />{{Rp|312–314}}

[[File:Jews of Fez.jpg|thumb|Jews of Fez photographed in the 1900s. The Mellah was the traditional Jewish quarter of the city since the 15th century.|alt=Black-and-white group photograph of Moroccan Jews in Fez]]
The Jewish quarter of Fez, the ''Mellah'', was created in Fes Jdid at some point during the Marinid period. The exact date and circumstances of its formation are not firmly established,<ref name="García-Arenal-1987">{{Cite journal|last=García-Arenal|first=Mercedes|date=1987|title=Les Bildiyyīn de Fès, un groupe de néo-musulmans d'origine juive|url=|journal=Studia Islamica|volume=66|issue=66|pages=113–143|doi=10.2307/1595913|jstor=1595913}}</ref><ref name="Rguig-2014">{{Cite book|last=Rguig|first=Hicham|title=Maroc médiéval: Un empire de l'Afrique à l'Espagne|publisher=Louvre éditions|year=2014|isbn=978-2-35031-490-7|editor-last=Lintz|editor-first=Yannick|location=Paris|pages=452–454|chapter=Quand Fès inventait le Mellah|editor-last2=Déléry|editor-first2=Claire|editor-last3=Tuil Leonetti|editor-first3=Bulle}}</ref> but many scholars date the transfer of the Jewish population from Fes el-Bali to the new Mellah to the 15th century, a period of political tension and instability. In particular, Jewish sources describe the transfer as a consequence of the rediscovery of Idris II's body in the heart of the city in 1437, which caused the surrounding area—if not the entire city—to acquire a holy (''haram'') status, requiring that non-Muslims be removed from the area.<ref name="García-Arenal-1987" /><ref name="Zafrani">{{Cite book|last=Zafrani|first=H.|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd|publisher=Brill|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|chapter=Mallāḥ|editor-last2=Bianquis|editor-first2=Th.|editor-last3=Bosworth|editor-first3=C.E.|editor-last4=van Donzel|editor-first4=E.|editor-last5=Heinrichs|editor-first5=W.P.}}</ref><ref name="Gilson Miller-2001a">{{Cite journal|last1=Gilson Miller|first1=Susan|last2=Petruccioli|first2=Attilio|last3=Bertagnin|first3=Mauro|date=2001|title=Inscribing Minority Space in the Islamic City: The Jewish Quarter of Fez (1438–1912)|journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians|volume=60|issue=3|pages=310–327|doi=10.2307/991758|jstor=991758}}</ref><ref name="Ben-Layashi-2018">{{Cite book|last1=Ben-Layashi|first1=Samir|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Hp0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=Sites of Jewish Memory: Jews in and From Islamic Lands|last2=Maddy-Weitzman|first2=Bruce|publisher=Routledge|year=2018|isbn=978-1-317-75160-1|editor-last=Abramson|editor-first=Glenda|location=|pages=|chapter=Myth, History, and Realpolitik: Morocco and its Jewish Community}}</ref> The Moroccan Jewish community had initially consisted of indigenous local Jews (known as the ''Toshavim'') but these were joined by Western Sephardic Jews fleeing from the [[Place:Iberian Peninsula|Iberian Peninsula]] (known as the ''Megorashim'') in subsequent generations, especially after the 1492 expulsion of Jews from Spain and 1496 expulsion of Jews from Portugal.<ref name="Chetrit-2014">{{Cite book|last=Chetrit|first=Joseph|title=Maroc médiéval: Un empire de l'Afrique à l'Espagne|publisher=Louvre éditions|year=2014|isbn=978-2-35031-490-7|editor-last=Lintz|editor-first=Yannick|location=Paris|pages=309–311|chapter=Juifs du Maroc et Juifs d'Espagne: deux destins imbriqués|editor-last2=Déléry|editor-first2=Claire|editor-last3=Tuil Leonetti|editor-first3=Bulle}}</ref>

The 1465 Moroccan revolt overthrew the last Marinid [[Religion:Sultan|sultan]]. In 1472 the Wattasids, another Zenata dynasty which had previously served as viziers under the Marinid sultans, succeeded as rulers of Morocco from Fez.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987c" />{{Rp|114–115}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bosworth|first=Clifford Edmund|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&q=new+islamic+dynasties|title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7486-9648-2|location=|pages=|chapter=The Waṭṭāsids}}</ref> They perpetuated the structure of the Marinid state and continued its policies, but were unable to control all of Morocco.<ref name="O'Meara-2004" />{{Rp|15}}<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987c" />{{Rp|207–209}} They did not contribute significantly to the physical fabric of Fez.<ref name="O'Meara-2013">{{Cite book|last=O'Meara|first=Simon|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three|publisher=Brill|year=2013|isbn=978-90-04-25267-7|editor-last=Fleet|editor-first=Kate|location=|pages=|chapter=Fez|issn=1873-9830|editor-last2=Krämer|editor-first2=Gudrun|editor-last3=Matringe|editor-first3=Denis|editor-last4=Nawas|editor-first4=John|editor-last5=Rowson|editor-first5=Everett}}</ref>

=== Saadis and 'Alawis ===
[[File:Borj Nord DSCF2747.jpg|thumb|Borj Nord, a Saadi fortress built in the 16th century overlooking Fez from the north|alt=refer to caption ]]
In the 16th century the Saadis, a dynasty claiming prophetic heritage, rose to power in southern Morocco and challenged the Wattasids. Around the same time, the [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] came close to Fez after its conquest of Algeria. In January 1549, the Saadi sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh took Fez and ousted the last Wattasid sultan Ali Abu Hassun. The Wattasids later retook the city in 1554 with Ottoman support, but this reconquest was short-lived and later that same year the Wattasids were decisively defeated by the Saadis.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987b" />{{Rp|157}} The Ottomans attempted to invade Morocco after the assassination of Mohammed ash-Sheikh in 1558, but were stopped by his son Abdallah al-Ghalib at the Battle of Wadi al-Laban north of Fez.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987b" />{{Rp|158}} After the death of Abdallah al-Ghalib a new power struggle emerged. Abd al-Malik, Abdallah's brother, captured Fez with Ottoman support and ousted his nephew Abu Abdullah from the throne. This led to the Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin (also known as Battle of the Three Kings) in which Abd al-Malik's army defeated an invading Portuguese army, ensuring Moroccan independence. Abd al-Malik was killed during the battle and was succeeded by Ahmad al-Mansur (r. 1578–1603).<ref name="Véronne-2012">{{Cite book|last=Véronne|first=Chantal de la|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd |publisher=Brill|year=2012|editor-last=Bearman|editor-first=P.|chapter=Saʿdids|editor-last2=Bianquis|editor-first2=Th.|editor-last3=Bosworth|editor-first3=C.E.|editor-last4=van Donzel|editor-first4=E.|editor-last5=Heinrichs|editor-first5=W.P.}}</ref>

The Saadis, who used Marrakesh again as their capital, did not lavish much attention on Fez, with the exception of the ornate ablutions pavilions added to the Qarawiyyin Mosque's courtyard during their time.<ref name="Terrasse-1968">{{Cite book|last=Terrasse|first=Henri|title=La Mosquée al-Qaraouiyin à Fès; avec une étude de Gaston Deverdun sur les inscriptions historiques de la mosquée|publisher=Librairie C. Klincksieck|year=1968|location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|70}} Perhaps as a result of persistent tensions with the city's inhabitants, the Saadis built a number of new forts and bastions around the city which appear to have been aimed at keeping control over the local population.{{efn|They were located on higher ground overlooking Fes el-Bali, from which they would have been easily able to bombard the city with canons. These include the Kasbah Tamdert, just inside the city walls near Bab Ftouh, the fortressess of Borj Nord to the north and Borj Sud to the south, and the bastions of Borj Sheikh Ahmed, Borj Twil, and Borj Sidi Bou Nafa' to the west. These fortifications were mostly built by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in the late 16th century. Their design is influenced by [[Earth:Europe|Europe]]an (probably Portuguese) military architecture in the gunpowder age.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|79–80}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003b" />{{Rp|37}}<ref name="Salmon 2016">{{Cite book|last=Salmon|first=Xavier|title=Marrakech: Splendeurs saadiennes: 1550–1650|publisher=LienArt|year=2016|isbn=978-2-35906-182-6|location=Paris|pages=}}</ref>{{Rp|92}}}}

After the long reign of Ahmad al-Mansur, the Saadi state fell into civil war between his sons and potential successors. Fez became a rival seat of power for a number of brothers vying against other family members ruling from Marrakesh. Both cities changed hands multiple times until the internecine conflict finally ended in 1627.<ref name="Véronne-2012"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bosworth|first=Clifford Edmund|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&q=new+islamic+dynasties|title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7486-9648-2|location=|pages=|chapter=The Sa'did Sharifs}}</ref> Despite the reunification of the realm after 1627, the Saadis were in full decline and Fez had already suffered considerably from the repeated conquests and reconquests during the conflict.<ref name="Le Tourneau-2012" /> In 1641, Muhammad al-Haj of the Sanhaja Dilā' Sufi order occupied Fez.<ref name="Gottreich-2020">{{Cite book|last=Gottreich|first=Emily|title=Jewish Morocco: a history from pre-Islamic to postcolonial times|date=2020|isbn=978-1-83860-361-8|location=London |publisher=I.B. Tauris|oclc=1139892409}}</ref>{{Rp|page=88}} The time was particularly difficult for Fessi Jews.<ref name="Gottreich-2020" />{{Rp|page=88}}[[File:Fes Castle Court.png|thumb|Patio of Moulay Rashid (17th century) inside the Royal Palace of Fez (photo from 1922)|alt=refer to caption]]
It was only when the founder of the 'Alawi dynasty, Moulay Rashid, took Fez in 1666 that the city saw a revival and became the capital again, albeit briefly.<ref name="Métalsi-2003b"/>{{Rp|25}} Moulay Rashid set about restoring the city after a long period of neglect. He built the Kasbah Cherarda (also known as the Kasbah al-Khemis) to the north of Fes Jdid in order to house a large part of his tribal troops.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|84}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003b"/>{{Rp|25}} He also restored or rebuilt what became known as the Kasbah an-Nouar, which became the living quarters of his followers from the Tafilalt region (the 'Alawi dynasty's ancestral home).<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|84}}<ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|72–73}} Moulay Rashid also built a large new madrasa, the Cherratine Madrasa, in 1670.<ref name="Touri-2010" />

After Rashid's death, Fez underwent another dark period. Moulay Isma'il, his successor, apparently disliked the city—possibly due to a rebellion there in his early reign—and chose nearby [[Place:Meknes|Meknès]] as his capital instead.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|84}} Although he did restore or rebuild some major monuments in the city, such as the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, he also frequently imposed heavy taxes on the city's inhabitants and sometimes even forcibly transferred parts of its population to repopulate other cities in the country.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|84–85}} After his death, Morocco was plunged into anarchy and decades of conflict between his sons who vied to succeed him. Fez suffered particularly from repeated conflicts with the Udayas (or Oudayas), a ''guich'' tribe (vassal tribe serving as a garrison and military force) previously installed in the Kasbah Cherarda by Moulay Isma'il. Sultan Moulay Abdallah, who reigned intermittently during this period and used Fez as a capital, was initially welcomed in 1728–29 as an enemy of the Udayas, but relations between him and the city's population quickly soured due to his choice of governor. He immediately built a separate fortified palace in the countryside, Dar Dbibegh, where he resided instead. For nearly three more decades the city remained in more or less perpetual conflict with both the Udayas and the 'Alawi sultans.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|85–86}}

Starting with the reign of Moulay Muhammad ibn Abdallah, between 1757 and 1790, the country stabilized and Fez finally regained its fortunes. Although its status was partly shared with Marrakesh, it remained the capital of Morocco for the rest of the 'Alawi period up to the 20th century.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|88}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|25–26}} The 'Alawis continued to rebuild or restore various monuments and undertook a series of extensions to the Royal Palace.<ref name="Touri-2010" /><ref name="Bressolette-1983">{{Cite journal|last1=Bressolette|first1=Henri|last2=Delaroziere|first2=Jean|date=1983|title=Fès-Jdid de sa fondation en 1276 au milieu du XXe siècle|url=https://www.hesperis-tamuda.com/Downloads/1980-1989/Hesp%C3%A9ris-Tamuda%201982-1983.pdf|journal=Hespéris-Tamuda|pages=245–318|access-date=2021-09-29|archive-date=2021-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929184201/https://www.hesperis-tamuda.com/Downloads/1980-1989/Hesp%C3%A9ris-Tamuda%201982-1983.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The sultans and their entourages also became more and more closely associated with the elites of Fez and other urban centers, with the ''[[Religion:Ulama|ulama]]'' (religious scholars) of Fez being particularly influential. After Moulay Slimane's death, powerful families from Fez became the main players of the country's political and intellectual scene.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987b" />{{Rp|242–247}}

The Tijani Sufi order, started by Ahmad al-Tijani (d. 1815), has had its spiritual center in Fez since al-Tijani moved here from Algeria in 1789.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987b" />{{Rp|244}} The order spread quickly among the literary elite of North West Africa and its ''ulama'' had significant religious, intellectual, and political influence in Fez and beyond.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Brigaglia|first=Andrea|date=2013–2014|title=Sufi Revival and Islamic Literacy: Tijaniyya Writings in Twentieth-Century Nigeria|url=https://www.academia.edu/9668574|journal=Annual Review of Islam in Africa|language=en|volume=12|issue=1|pages=|via=|access-date=2019-11-18|archive-date=2021-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903085646/https://www.academia.edu/9668574|url-status=live}}</ref> Until the 19th century the city was the only source of fezzes (also known as the ''tarboosh'').<ref name="Fes-2007b" />[[File:New mechouar.jpg|thumb|The New Mechouar, created by Moulay Hassan I in the late 19th century at the northern entrance to Fes Jdid and the Royal Palace; on the left is the entrance to the Dar al-Makina, dating from the same time|alt=refer to caption]]
The last major change to Fez's topography before the 20th century was made during the reign of Moulay Hassan I (1873–1894), who finally connected Fes Jdid and Fes el-Bali by building a walled corridor between them.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|89}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003b"/>{{Rp|25–26}} New gardens and summer palaces, used by the royals and the capital's high society, were built within the corridor, such as the Jnan Sbil Gardens and the Dar Batha palace.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|89–90}}<ref name="Bressolette-1983" /> Moulay Hassan also expanded the old Royal Palace itself, extending its entrance up to the current location of the Old Mechouar while adding the New Mechouar, along with the Dar al-Makina, to the north. The expansion separated the Moulay Abdallah neighbourhood to the northwest from the rest of Fes Jdid.<ref name="Bressolette-1983" />

Fez played a central role in the Hafidhiya, the brief civil war that erupted when Abdelhafid challenged his brother Abdelaziz for the throne. The ''ulama'' of Fez, led by the [[Religion:Sufism|Sufi]] modernist Muhammad Bin Abdul-Kabir Al-Kattani, offered their conditioned support to Abd al-Hafid, which turned the tide of the conflict.<ref name="Miller, Susan Gilson.-2013">{{Cite book|last=Miller, Susan Gilson.|title=A history of modern Morocco|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-62469-5|location=New York|oclc=855022840}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2017-06-12|title=الكتاني، ثمن البيعة المشروطة|url=https://zamane.ma/ar/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%8c-%d8%ab%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b7%d8%a9/|access-date=2020-06-25|website=زمان|language=ar|archive-date=2020-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410054055/https://zamane.ma/ar/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%8c-%d8%ab%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b7%d8%a9/}}</ref> Abdelaziz was defeated in the Battle of Marrakesh in 1908.<ref name="Miller, Susan Gilson.-2013" />{{Rp|76–78}} Abdelhafid's reign soon deteriorated and in early 1911 the sultan was besieged in Fez by the tribes of the Middle Atlas. Abdelhafid appealed for French help and a French force under Colonel {{Interlanguage link|Charles Émile Moinier|fr|Charles Émile Moinier}} arrived in Fez on May 21 and established a command centre at Dar Dbibegh.<ref name="Le Tourneau-2012" /><ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987b" />{{Rp|313}}<ref name="Miller, Susan Gilson.-2013" />{{Rp|78}}

=== Colonial period ===
[[File:Abdication of Abd al-Hafid of Morocco (1912, Le Petit Journal).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The abdication of Abd al-Hafid, Sultan of Morocco in 1912|alt=An illustration of the abdication of Abd al-Hafid published in Le Petit Journal]]
In 1912, French colonial rule was instituted over Morocco following the Treaty of Fes. One immediate consequence was the 1912 riots in Fez, a popular uprising which included deadly attacks targeting Europeans as well as native Jewish inhabitants in the Mellah, followed by an even deadlier repression.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gershovich|first=Moshe|title=French Military Rule in Morocco: colonialism and its consequences|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|isbn=0-7146-4949-X|chapter=Pre-Colonial Morocco: Demise of the Old Mazhkan|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KkcM5c48hBIC&pg=PA40}}</ref><ref name="Hirschberg1981">{{cite book|author=H. Z. (J. W.) Hirschberg|title=A history of the Jews in North Africa: From the Ottoman conquests to the present time, edited by Eliezer Bashan and Robert Attal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=idEUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA319|year=1981|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-06295-5|page=318}}</ref> The first French resident general, Hubert Lyautey, decided to move the administrative capital of the Protectorate to [[Place:Rabat|Rabat]] in 1912–1913, which has remained the capital ever since.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pennell|first=C.R.|title=Morocco: From Empire to Independence|publisher=Oneworld Publications|year=2003|isbn=978-1-85168-634-6}}</ref>{{Rp|149}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Théliol|first=Mylène|date=2014-01-30|title=Aménagement et préservation de la médina de Rabat entre 1912 et 1956|url=https://journals.openedition.org/emam/548?lang=en|journal=Les Cahiers d'EMAM (Études sur le Monde Arabe et la Méditerranée)|language=fr|issue=22|pages=47–70|doi=10.4000/emam.548|issn=1969-248X|doi-access=free|access-date=2021-09-30|archive-date=2021-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028171218/https://journals.openedition.org/emam/548?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Rabinow|first=Paul|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nC2GDwAAQBAJ&dq=rabat+capital+1913&pg=PA296|title=French Modern: Norms and Forms of the Social Environment|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2014|isbn=978-0-226-22757-3|page=296|language=en}}</ref>

A number of social and physical changes took place during this period and across the 20th century. Starting under Lyautey, one important policy with long-term consequences was the decision to largely forego redevelopment of existing historic walled cities in Morocco and to intentionally preserve them as sites of historic heritage, still known today as "[[Engineering:Medina quarter|medinas]]". Instead, the French administration built new modern cities (the ''Villes Nouvelles'') just outside the old cities, where European settlers largely resided with modern Western-style amenities. This was part of a larger "policy of association" adopted by Lyautey which favoured various forms of indirect colonial rule by preserving local institutions and elites, in contrast with other French colonial policies that had favoured "assimilation".<ref name="Wagner-2014">{{Cite journal|last1=Wagner|first1=Lauren|last2=Minca|first2=Claudio|date=2014|title=Rabat retrospective: Colonial heritage in a Moroccan urban laboratory|url=|journal=Urban Studies|volume=51|issue=14|pages=3011–3025|doi=10.1177/0042098014524611|bibcode=2014UrbSt..51.3011W |s2cid=145686603}}</ref><ref name="Holden-2008">{{Cite journal|last=Holden|first=Stacy E.|date=2008|title=The Legacy of French Colonialism: Preservation in Morocco's Fez Medina|url=|journal=APT Bulletin|volume=39|issue=4|pages=5–11|via=}}</ref><ref name="Jelidi-2012">{{Cite book|last=Jelidi|first=Charlotte|title=Fès, la fabrication d'une ville nouvelle (1912–1956)|publisher=ENS Éditions|year=2012}}</ref> The {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}} also became known as ''Dar Dbibegh'' by Moroccans, as the former palace of Moulay Abdallah was located in the same area.<ref name="Le Tourneau-2012" />[[File:Fes City Modern (lightened).jpg|thumb|A street in the modern ''Ville Nouvelle'' ("New City") of Fez|alt=refer to caption]]The creation of the separate French {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}} to the west had a wider impact on the entire city's development.<ref name="Jelidi-2012" /> While new colonial policies preserved historic monuments, they stalled urban development in heritage areas.<ref name="Wagner-2014"/> Scholar Janet Abu-Lughod has argued that these policies created a kind of urban "apartheid" between the indigenous Moroccan urban areas, who were forced to remain stagnant in terms of urban development and architectural innovation, and the new, mainly European-inhabited planned cities, which expanded to occupy lands formerly used by Moroccans outside the city.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Abu-Lughod|first=Janet|title=African Themes: Northwestern University Studies in Honor of Gwendolen M. Carter|publisher=Northwestern University Press|year=1975|isbn=|editor-last=Abu-Lughod|editor-first=Ibrahim|location=|pages=77–111|chapter=Moroccan Cities: Apartheid and the Serendipity of Conservation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Abu-Lughod|first=Janet|title=Rabat: Urban Apartheid in Morocco|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1980|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref>{{Rp|165–166}}<ref name="Wagner-2014" /> This separation was partly softened, however, by wealthy Moroccans who started moving into the {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelles}} during this period.<ref name="Aouchar-2005b">{{Cite book|last=Aouchar|first=Amina|title=Fès, Meknès|publisher=Flammarion|year=2005|isbn=|location=|pages=192–194}}</ref><ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|26}} By contrast, the old city (medina) of Fez was increasingly settled by poorer rural migrants from the countryside.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|26}}

Fez also played a role in the Moroccan nationalist movement and in protests against the French colonial regime. Many Moroccan nationalists received their education at the [[Organization:University of al-Qarawiyyin|Al-Qarawiyyin University]] and some of their informal political networks were established thanks to this shared educational background.<ref name="Wyrtzen-2016">{{cite book|last1=Wyrtzen|first1=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VC1UCwAAQBAJ|title=Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2016|isbn=978-1-5017-0424-6}}</ref>{{Rp|140, 146}} In July 1930, the students and other inhabitants protested against the Berber Dahir, decreed by the French authorities in May of that year.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hart|first=David M.|date=1997|title=The Berber Dahir of 1930 in colonial Morocco: then and now (1930–1996)|journal=The Journal of North African Studies|volume=2|issue=2|pages=11–33|doi=10.1080/13629389708718294}}</ref><ref name="Wyrtzen-2016" />{{Rp|143–144}} In 1937, the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and R'cif Mosque were rallying points for demonstrations against a violent crackdown on Moroccan protesters in the nearby city of [[Place:Meknes|Meknes]], which ended with French troops being deployed across Fes el-Bali, including at the mosques themselves.<ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987c">{{Cite book|last=Abun-Nasr|first=Jamil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdlKbZ46YYkC&pg=PP1|title=A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1987|isbn=0-521-33767-4|location=Cambridge}}</ref>{{Rp|387–389}}<ref name="Wyrtzen-2016" />{{Rp|168}} Towards the end of [[Social:World War II|World War II]], Moroccan nationalists gathered in Fez to draft a demand for independence which they submitted to the Allies on January 11, 1944. This resulted in the arrest of nationalist leaders followed by the violent suppression of protests across many cities, including Fez.<ref name="Aouchar-2005c">{{Cite book|last=Aouchar|first=Amina|title=Fès, Meknès|publisher=Flammarion|year=2005|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref><ref name="Wyrtzen-2016" />{{Rp|255}}

=== Post-independence era ===
After Morocco regained its independence in 1956, many of the trends begun under colonial rule continued and accelerated. Much of Fez's bourgeois classes moved to the growing metropolises of [[Place:Casablanca|Casablanca]] and the capital, Rabat.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|26}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Istasse|first=Manon|title=Living in a World Heritage Site: Ethnography of Houses and Daily Life in the Fez Medina|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2019|isbn=978-3-030-17450-7}}</ref>{{Rp|40}} The Jewish population was particularly depleted, either moving to [[Place:Casablanca|Casablanca]] or emigrating to countries like France, {{wipe|Canada}}, and [[Place:Israel|Israel]]. Although the population of the city grew, it did so only slowly up until the late 1960s, when the pace of growth finally accelerated.<ref name="Aouchar-2005c" />{{Rp|216}} Throughout this period Fez nonetheless remained the country's third largest urban center.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|26}}<ref name="Aouchar-2005c" />{{Rp|216}} Between 1971 and 2000, the population of the city roughly tripled from 325,000 to 940,000, making it the second largest city in Morocco.<ref name="Rivet-2012" />{{Rp|376}} The {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}} became the locus of further development, with new peripheral neighbourhoods–with inconsistent housing quality–spreading outwards around it.<ref name="Aouchar-2005c" /> In 1963 the University of Al-Qarawiyyin was reorganized as a state university,<ref name="Lulat 2005, 154–1572">Lulat, Y. G.-M.: ''A History Of African Higher Education From Antiquity To The Present: A Critical Synthesis'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005, {{ISBN|978-0-313-32061-3}}, pp.&nbsp;154–157</ref> while a new public university, [[Organization:Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University|Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University]], was founded in 1975 in the {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}}.<ref name="Times HE-2020" /> In 1981, the old city, consisting of Fes el-Bali and Fes Jdid, was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref name="UNESCO-2021">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Medina of Fez |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/170/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423051019/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/170/ |archive-date=2020-04-23 |access-date=2021-09-29 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref>

Social inequalities and economic precarity were accentuated during the repressive reign of King Hassan II and the period known as the [[Social:Years of Lead (Morocco)|Years of Lead]] (roughly 1975–1990).<ref name="Miller, Susan Gilson.-2013" />{{Rp|170}} Fez was strongly affected by unemployment and lack of housing. Austerity measures led to several riots and uprisings across other cities during the 1980s. On December 14, 1990, a general strike was called and led to protests and rioting by university students and youths in Fez. Buildings were burned and looted, including the {{lang|fr|Hôtel des Mérinides}}, a luxury hotel overlooking Fes el-Bali and dating to the time of Lyautey. Thousands were arrested and at least five were killed. The government promised to investigate and raise wages, though some of these measures were dismissed by the opposition.<ref name="Rivet-2012" />{{Rp|377}}<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=1990-12-17 |title=33 Dead in 2-Day Riot in Morocco Fed by Frustration Over Economy (Published 1990) |language=en-US |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |agency={{wipe|Reuters}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/17/world/33-dead-in-2-day-riot-in-morocco-fed-by-frustration-over-economy.html |url-status=live |access-date=2021-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214180837/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/17/world/33-dead-in-2-day-riot-in-morocco-fed-by-frustration-over-economy.html |archive-date=2021-02-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=1990-12-16|title=5 Die, 127 Hurt as Worst Riots in 7 Years Sweep Morocco City|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-16-mn-9259-story.html|access-date=2021-01-10|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=2021-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214090422/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-16-mn-9259-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bidwell|first=Robin|title=Dictionary Of Modern Arab History|publisher=Routledge|year=1998|isbn=978-0-7103-0505-3|page=146|chapter=Fez Riots (1990)}}</ref>

Today Fez remains a regional capital and one of Morocco's most important cities. Many of the former notable families of Fez still make up a large part of the country's political elite.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hiel|first=Elizabeth|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-19-986125-5|location=|pages=|chapter=Fez}}</ref> It is also a major tourism destination due to its historical heritage. In recent years efforts have been underway to restore and rehabilitate the old medina, ranging from the restoration of individual monuments to attempts to rehabilitate the Fez River.<ref>{{cite web|title=La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès|url=http://visitefes.com/la-magnifique-renovation-des-27-monuments-de-fes/|access-date=2021-01-10|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2021-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227004933/http://visitefes.com/la-magnifique-renovation-des-27-monuments-de-fes/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Facelift helps Morocco's Old City of Fez lure tourists {{!}}|url=https://thearabweekly.com/facelift-helps-moroccos-old-city-fez-lure-tourists|access-date=2021-01-10|website=AW|language=en|archive-date=2021-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113055946/https://thearabweekly.com/facelift-helps-moroccos-old-city-fez-lure-tourists|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GlobalGrid-2020">{{cite web|title=Revitalization of the Fez River: A Reclaimed Public Space {{!}} Smart Cities Dive|url=https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/revitalization-fez-river-reclaimed-public-space/171636/|access-date=2020-03-31|website=www.smartcitiesdive.com|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916183245/https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/revitalization-fez-river-reclaimed-public-space/171636/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2014-03-20|title=Aziza Chaouni presents a 2014 TED Talk on her efforts to uncover the Fez River in Morocco|url=https://www.daniels.utoronto.ca/news/2014/03/20/aziza-chaouni-presents-2014-ted-talk-her-efforts-uncover-fez-river-morocco|access-date=2020-03-31|website=Daniels|language=en|archive-date=2020-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627192051/https://www.daniels.utoronto.ca/news/2014/03/20/aziza-chaouni-presents-2014-ted-talk-her-efforts-uncover-fez-river-morocco|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Geography ==

=== Location ===
[[File:Fez-Sunset on the old city (16955000775).jpg|thumb|300px|The walled district of Fes el-Bali.|alt=refer to caption]]
The city is divided between its historic [[Engineering:Medina quarter|medina]] (the two walled districts of Fes el-Bali and Fes Jdid) and the now much larger ''Ville Nouvelle'' (New City) along with several outlying modern neighbourhoods. The old city is located in a valley along the banks of the ''Oued Fes'' (Fez River) just above its confluence with the larger Sebou River to the northeast.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|32}}<ref name="Fes-2007b" /> The Fez River takes its sources from the south and west and is split into various small canals which provide the historic city with water. These in turn empty into the Oued Bou Khrareb, the stretch of the river which passes through the middle of Fes el-Bali and separates the Qarawiyyin quarter from the Andalusian quarter.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|232–235}}

The new city occupies a plateau on the edge of the Saïs [[Earth:Plain|plain]]. The latter stretches out to the west and south and is occupied largely by farmland. Roughly 15&nbsp;km south of Fes el-Bali is the region's main airport, Fes-Saïs. Further south is the town of [[Place:Sefrou|Sefrou]], while the city of [[Place:Meknes|Meknes]], the next largest city in the region, is located to the southwest.<ref name="Rough Guides-2019a">{{Cite book|title=The Rough Guide to Morocco|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2019|edition=12th|pages=158–181}}</ref><ref name="Aouchar-2005a">{{Cite book|last=Aouchar|first=Amina|title=Fès, Meknès|publisher=Flammarion|year=2005|page=123}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
Northwest of the Middle Atlas mountains, Fez has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ([[Earth:Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa'') with a strong continental influence, shifting from relatively cool and wet in the winter to dry and hot days in the summer months between June and September. Rainfall can reach up to {{convert|800|mm|0|abbr=on}} in good years. The winter highs typically reach around {{convert|15|°C|0|abbr=on}} and winter lows average about {{convert|4.5|C|0|abbr=on}} in December–January. Frost is not uncommon during the winter period. The summer highs peak in July and August at approximately {{convert|34.5|C|0|abbr=on}} with average lows of {{convert|18|C|0|abbr=on}}. The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in the city are {{convert|46.7|°C|0|abbr=on}} and {{convert|-8.2|°C|0|abbr=on}}, respectively.
Snowfall on average occurs once every 3 to 5 years. Fez recorded snowfall in three straight years in 2005, 2006 and 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aemet.es/en/conocermas/publicaciones/detalles/guia_resumida_2010 |title=Guía resumida del clima en España (1981–2010) – Agencia Estatal de Meteorología – AEMET. Gobierno de España |access-date=2014-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118081428/http://www.aemet.es/en/conocermas/publicaciones/detalles/guia_resumida_2010 |archive-date=2012-11-18 }}</ref><ref name="voodooskies.com">{{cite web|url=http://voodooskies.com/weather/morocco/fes/monthly/temperature|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006064153/http://voodooskies.com/weather/morocco/fes/monthly/temperature|archive-date=2015-10-06|title=Voodoo Skies – Fes Monthly Temperature weather history|date=October 6, 2015}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| location = Fez (Fès–Saïs Airport), altitude: {{convert|579|m|abbr=on}} 1991–2020
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 25.0
| Feb record high C = 30.5
| Mar record high C = 33.3
| Apr record high C = 37.8
| May record high C = 41.3
| Jun record high C = 44.0
| Jul record high C = 46.7
| Aug record high C = 45.7
| Sep record high C = 42.8
| Oct record high C = 37.5
| Nov record high C = 32.3
| Dec record high C = 27.0
| year record high C = 46.7
| Jan high C = 16.0
| Feb high C = 17.3
| Mar high C = 19.9
| Apr high C = 22.0
| May high C = 26.4
| Jun high C = 31.2
| Jul high C = 35.1
| Aug high C = 35.1
| Sep high C = 30.3
| Oct high C = 26.1
| Nov high C = 20.2
| Dec high C = 17.2
| year high C = 24.7
| Jan mean C = 9.9
| Feb mean C = 10.9
| Mar mean C = 13.3
| Apr mean C = 15.2
| May mean C = 19.0
| Jun mean C = 23.1
| Jul mean C = 26.5
| Aug mean C = 26.8
| Sep mean C = 22.9
| Oct mean C = 19.4
| Nov mean C = 14.1
| Dec mean C = 11.2
| year mean C = 17.7
| Jan low C = 3.7
| Feb low C = 4.4
| Mar low C = 6.6
| Apr low C = 8.3
| May low C = 11.5
| Jun low C = 14.9
| Jul low C = 17.9
| Aug low C = 18.3
| Sep low C = 15.6
| Oct low C = 12.6
| Nov low C = 8.1
| Dec low C = 5.2
| year low C = 10.6
| Jan record low C = -8.2
| Feb record low C = -5.3
| Mar record low C = -2.5
| Apr record low C = -0.5
| May record low C = 0.0
| Jun record low C = 4.9
| Jul record low C = 8.5
| Aug record low C = 9.2
| Sep record low C = 5.9
| Oct record low C = 0.0
| Nov record low C = -1.4
| Dec record low C = -5.0
| year record low C = -8.2
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 60.1
| Feb precipitation mm = 54.3
| Mar precipitation mm = 59.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 54.7
| May precipitation mm = 38.2
| Jun precipitation mm = 11.1
| Jul precipitation mm = 1.1
| Aug precipitation mm = 4.9
| Sep precipitation mm = 22.1
| Oct precipitation mm = 53.9
| Nov precipitation mm = 66.1
| Dec precipitation mm = 62.0
| year precipitation mm = 487.7
| Jan precipitation days = 6.7
| Feb precipitation days = 6.5
| Mar precipitation days = 6.9
| Apr precipitation days = 6.3
| May precipitation days = 4.7
| Jun precipitation days = 1.7
| Jul precipitation days = 0.4
| Aug precipitation days = 1.0
| Sep precipitation days = 2.4
| Oct precipitation days = 5.1
| Nov precipitation days = 6.5
| Dec precipitation days = 6.5
| year precipitation days = 54.7
| Jan sun = 210.6
| Feb sun = 201.1
| Mar sun = 244.0
| Apr sun = 246.5
| May sun = 278.0
| Jun sun = 315.0
| Jul sun = 338.0
| Aug sun = 320.4
| Sep sun = 282.5
| Oct sun = 245.5
| Nov sun = 205.2
| Dec sun = 199.8
| year sun =
| Jan percentsun = 60
| Feb percentsun = 55
| Mar percentsun = 58
| Apr percentsun = 62
| May percentsun = 64
| Jun percentsun = 71
| Jul percentsun = 79
| Aug percentsun = 77
| Sep percentsun = 75
| Oct percentsun = 64
| Nov percentsun = 60
| Dec percentsun = 60
| year percentsun =
|source 1 = [[Organization:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] (sun 1981–2010)<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Morocco/CSV/FesSAIS_60141.csv
| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = 5 October 2023
| archive-date = 5 October 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231005221712/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Morocco/CSV/FesSAIS_60141.csv
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref name=WMOCLINOOld>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-I/Morocco/WMO_Normals_ASCII_60141.csv
| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981–2010
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = 10 November 2021
| archive-date = 9 April 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220409222537/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-I/Morocco/WMO_Normals_ASCII_60141.csv
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
| source 2 = Voodoo skies for extremes<ref name="voodooskies.com"/> Weather Atlas<ref name="Weather Atlas">{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/morocco/fes-climate |title=Fes, Morocco – Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=March 2, 2017 |archive-date=March 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302025735/http://www.weather-atlas.com/en/morocco/fes-climate |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto"
|-
! colspan="14" |Climate data for Fez
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
! style="border-left-width:medium" |Year
|-
!Mean daily daylight hours
| style="background:#F0F011;color:#000000;" |10.0
| style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;" |11.0
| style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;" |12.0
| style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;" |13.0
| style="background:#FFFF55;color:#000000;" |14.0
| style="background:#FFFF55;color:#000000;" |14.0
| style="background:#FFFF55;color:#000000;" |14.0
| style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;" |13.0
| style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;" |12.0
| style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;" |11.0
| style="background:#F0F011;color:#000000;" |10.0
| style="background:#F0F011;color:#000000;" |10.0
| style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;" |12.0
|-
!Average [[Astronomy:Ultraviolet index|Ultraviolet index]]
| style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;" |3
| style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;" |4
| style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;" |6
| style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;" |8
| style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;" |9
| style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;" |10
| style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;" |11
| style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;" |10
| style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;" |8
| style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;" |6
| style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;" |4
| style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;" |3
| style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium" |6.8
|-
! colspan="14" style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;" |Source: Weather Atlas <ref name="Weather Atlas" />
|}

== Demographics ==
[[File:Cafe Life - Ville Nouvelle (New City) - Fez - Morocco.jpg|thumb|Men at a Café, Fez|alt=refer to caption]]
According to the 2014 national census, the population of the city of Fez was 1,112,072, which includes the municipalities of Fez proper and Méchouar Fès Jdid (New Fès).<ref name="census"/> Most of the population was Moroccan, but it also included 3,515 resident foreigners, making up 4.2 percent of the foreigner population of Morocco.<ref name="census" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=El Masaiti |first=Amira |date=2017-12-19 |title=In just Ten Years, Foreign Population in Morocco Increased by 63% |work=Morocco World News |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/12/236762/foreign-population-morocco |access-date=2023-11-07 |archive-date=2023-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107000358/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/12/236762/foreign-population-morocco |url-status=live }}</ref> The predominant religion in Fez is [[Religion:Islam|Islam]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Morocco |date=2023-11-14 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/morocco/ |work=The World Factbook |access-date=2023-11-29 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref> In the past the city had a large [[Religion:Jews|Jewish]] population, but as of 2001, less than 200 Jewish people remain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kosansky |first=Oren |date=2001 |title=Reading Jewish Fez: On the Cultural Identity of a Moroccan City |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.4750978.0008.305 |journal=Journal of the International Institute |volume=8 |issue=3 |hdl=2027/spo.4750978.0008.305 |issn=1558-741X}}</ref>

=== Language ===
The main spoken language in Fez is Arabic Darija ({{Lang|ar|الدارجة المغربية}} lit. "the Moroccan vernacular"), a [[Social:Vernacular|vernacular]] variety of Arabic. Like the inhabitants of other historical urban centers in Morocco, ''Ahl Fes'' ({{Lang|ar|أهل فاس}} "the people of Fes," referring especially to old elite families) speak their own distinct dialect of Darija.<ref name="Hachimi-2012">{{Cite journal|last=Hachimi|first=Atiqa|date=2012-05-23|title=The urban and the urbane: Identities, language ideologies, and Arabic dialects in Morocco|journal=Language in Society|volume=41|issue=3|pages=321–341|doi=10.1017/s0047404512000279|s2cid=144607607|issn=0047-4045}}</ref> This ''Fessi'' dialect has traditionally been regarded as a [[Social:Prestige (sociolinguistics)|prestige dialect]] over other forms of Moroccan Darija—particularly those seen as rural or ''<nowiki/>'arūbi'' ({{Lang|arz|عروبي}} "of the rural Arabs")—due to its "association with the socio-economic power and dominance that its speakers enjoy at the national level," in the words of [[Social:Linguistics|linguist]] Mohammed Errihani.<ref name="Hachimi-2012" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Errihani|first=Mohammed|date=2016-07-28|title=Language and social distinction: speaking Darija* with the right accent|journal=The Journal of North African Studies|volume=21|issue=5|pages=741–764|doi=10.1080/13629387.2016.1212706|s2cid=147855077|issn=1362-9387}}</ref>

The ''Fessi'' dialect has traditionally had distinctive linguistic features. On the [[Social:Phonology|phonological]] level, these include the stereotypical use of a postalveolar approximant (like the American pronunciation of /ɹ/ in the word "red") in the place of a trilled [r] for /ر/, or a pharyngealized glottal stop or voiceless uvular plosive in the place of a voiced velar plosive ([<nowiki/>g]) for /ق/.<ref name="Hachimi-2012" /> On the morphosyntactic level, gender distinction in pronouns and verb [[Social:Inflection|inflection]]s is neutralized in the second person singular.<ref name="Hachimi-2012" />

Many of these features were shared with the other "pre-[[Place:Banu Hilal|Hilalian]]" dialects in the region.<ref name="Heath-2002">{{Cite book|last=Heath|first=Jeffrey|title=Jewish and Muslim Dialects of Moroccan Arabic|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|isbn=978-0-415-56778-7|pages=}}</ref>{{Rp|5, 24}}{{Efn|"Pre-Hilalian" in this context refers to dialects believed to descend from the Arabic spoken in the region prior to the arrival of the [[Place:Banu Hilal|Banu Hilal]] and the Banu Ma'qil tribes that began in the 12th century. After this event, "Hilalian" dialects became dominant in the rural regions of central Morocco and are a major component of wider Moroccan Arabic today.<ref name="Heath-2002" />{{Rp|2–10}}}} However, due to social and demographic changes that started in the 20th century such as mass rural migration into the city and the departure of most of the city's old urban elites to Casablanca, these old linguistic features are no longer dominant in the speech of Arabic speakers in Fez today.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hachimi|first=Atiqa|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdCWpuRrAogC&dq=fez+languages&pg=PT70|title=The Languages of Urban Africa|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4411-5813-0|editor-last=Mc Laughlin|editor-first=Fiona|chapter=The story of old urban vernaculars in North Africa}}</ref><ref name="Heath-2002" />{{Rp|5, 24}} Prior to the departure of most Jewish residents in the second half of the 20th century, the Jewish community in Fez also spoke an Arabic dialect similar to the rest of city.<ref name="Heath-2002" />{{Rp|24}}{{Efn|There are competing theories about the historical roots of Moroccan Jewish dialects of Arabic. Some scholars argue that they were strongly influenced by [[Social:Andalusi Arabic|Andalusi Arabic]] dialects (which were similar to North African dialects) brought by Jewish refugees from Spain after 1492, while other scholars argue that these same refugees mostly spoke Judeo-Spanish when they arrived and eventually adopted existing Arabic dialects in the cities.<ref name="Heath-2002" />{{Rp|10–12}}}}

[[Social:Modern Standard Arabic|Modern Standard Arabic]] and Berber (Tamazight) are Morocco's two official state languages, although [[Social:French language|French]] is also widespread as a language of government and law.<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages in Morocco, Miscellaneous in Morocco|url=https://www.expat.com/en/guide/africa/morocco/17694-languages-in-morocco.html|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Expat|language=en|archive-date=2021-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920220335/https://www.expat.com/en/guide/africa/morocco/17694-languages-in-morocco.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Moroccan Arabic – Darija {{!}} Qalam wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies|url=https://www.qalamcenter.com/moroccan-arabic?lang=fr|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Qalam Wa Lawh|language=fr|archive-date=2021-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921022107/https://www.qalamcenter.com/moroccan-arabic?lang=fr|url-status=live}}</ref> The primary language of the literary traditions of Fes is Arabic.<ref name="Abdulrazak-1990" /> While the daily spoken language is Darija (the Moroccan Arabic dialect), many people also speak French fluently. English is increasingly being learned by younger generations. Berber dialects are commonly spoken in the countryside around the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=What language is spoken in Fez Morocco?|url=https://archinfos.com/library/lecture/read/181838-what-language-is-spoken-in-fez-morocco|access-date=2021-09-20|website=archinfos.com|archive-date=2021-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101190912/https://archinfos.com/library/lecture/read/181838-what-language-is-spoken-in-fez-morocco}}</ref>

== Economy ==
[[File:Fez Peddler.jpg|thumb|Produce peddler in the Old Medina of Fes|alt=A man selling produce from a cart on the side of a street]]
Historically, the city was one of Morocco's main centers of trade and craftsmanship. The tanning industry, for example, still embodied by tanneries of Fes el-Bali today, was a major source of [[Finance:Export|export]]s and economic sustenance since the city's early history.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1935">{{Cite journal|last1=Le Tourneau|first1=Roger|last2=Paye|first2=L.|date=1935|title=La corporation des tanneurs et l'industrie de la tannerie à Fès|url=http://www.hesperis-tamuda.com/fr/index.php/archives/archives-1939-1930/150-hesperis-tamuda-1935|journal=Hespéris|volume=21|pages=167–240|access-date=2020-09-21|archive-date=2020-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916235230/http://www.hesperis-tamuda.com/fr/index.php/archives/archives-1939-1930/150-hesperis-tamuda-1935|url-status=live}}</ref> Up until the late 19th century, the city was the only place in the world which fabricated the fez hat.<ref name="Fes-2007b" /> The city's commerce was concentrated along its major streets, like Tala'a Kebira, and around the central bazaar known as the Kissariat al-Kifah from which many other ''souq''s (markets) branched off.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|112, 122–129}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|52–56}} The crafts industry continues to this day and is still focused in the old city, though largely reliant on tourism.<ref name="Fes-2007b" />

Today, the city's surrounding countryside, the fertile Saïss plains, is an important source of agricultural activity producing primarily [[Biology:Cereal|cereal]]s, [[Biology:Bean|bean]]s, [[Biology:Olive|olive]]s, and grapes, as well as raising livestock.<ref name="Fes-2007b" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Business in Fez, Othman Benjelloun (Morocco)|url=https://www.hauniversity.org/en/Maroc-Fes.shtml|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Africa EENI Global Business School & University|language=en|archive-date=2020-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930212643/https://www.hauniversity.org/en/Maroc-Fes.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Tourism is also a major industry due to the city's UNESCO-listed historic [[Engineering:Medina quarter|medina]].<ref name="Fes-2007b" /> Religious tourism is also present due to the old city's many major [[Religion:Zawiya (institution)|zawiyas]] (Islamic shrines), such as the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II and the Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani, which attract both Moroccan and international (especially [[Place:West Africa|West Africa]]n) pilgrims.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Berriane|first=Johara|date=2015|title=Pilgrimage, Spiritual Tourism and the Shaping of Transnational 'Imagined Communities': the Case of the Tidjani Ziyara to Fez|url=https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=ijrtp|journal=International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage|volume=3|issue=2|access-date=2020-09-21|archive-date=2020-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723195502/https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=ijrtp|url-status=live}}</ref> The city and the region still struggle with unemployment and economic precarity.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-03-13|title=Fez-Meknes|url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/morocco-2019/fez-meknes|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Oxford Business Group|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030064559/https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/morocco-2019/fez-meknes|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Government ==
Two municipalities (Arabic: {{lang|ar|جماعتين حضريتين}}, French: {{lang|fr|communes}}) in the {{ill|Fez Prefecture|ar|عمالة فاس}} (Arabic: {{lang|ar|عمالة فاس}}) make up the city of Fez. Most of Fez is administered as the municipality of Fez, while the neighborhood of Fes Jdid is administered separately as the municipality of Méchouar Fès Jdid. Outside of the city, there are also three rural municipalities in the prefecture, Aïn Bida, Oulad Tayeb, and Sidi Harazem.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.region-fes-meknes.ma/fr/provinces/fes/ |title=Fès |language=fr |publisher=Region of Fès-Meknès |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190604/http://www.region-fes-meknes.ma/fr/provinces/fes/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The municipality of Fez has an area of {{convert|94|km2}} and recorded a population of 1,091,512 in the 2014 Moroccan census.<ref name="census2014">{{cite web |url=http://rgph2014.hcp.ma/file/166326/ |title=Population Légale des Régions, Provinces, Préfectures, Municipalitiés, Arrondissements et Communes du Royaume d'Aprés les Résultats du RGPH 2014 |language=ar, fr |publisher=High Commission for Planning |date=8 April 2015 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501112845/https://rgph2014.hcp.ma/file/166326/ }}</ref> It is divided into six ''arrondissements'' ({{lang|ar|مقاطعات}}):

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+''Arrondissements'' of the municipality of Fez
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! ''Arrondissement''
! Area<ref name="signoles">{{cite book |editor-last=Signoles |editor-first=Pierre |title=Territoires et politiques dans les périphéries des grandes villes du Maghreb |pages=425, 431 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YaELEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA431 |publisher=Éditions Karthala |year=2014 |isbn=978-2-8111-1328-5 |access-date=2021-10-16}}</ref>
! Population<br />(2014)<ref name="census2014" />
! Population<br />(2004)<ref name="signoles" />
! Change
! Population density<br />(2014)
|-
||Agdal
|{{convert|21.0|km2|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
|{{Pop density|142407|21.0|km2|sqmi}}
|-
||El Mariniyine
|{{convert|13.5|km2|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
|{{Pop density|209494|13.5|km2|sqmi}}
|-
||Fès-Médina
|{{convert|2.2|km2|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
|{{Pop density|70592|2.2|km2|sqmi}}
|-
||Jnan El Ouard
|{{convert|16.3|km2|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
|{{Pop density|201011|16.3|km2|sqmi}}
|-
||Saiss
|{{convert|20.5|km2|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
|{{Pop density|207345|20.5|km2|sqmi}}
|-
||Zouagha
|{{convert|20.5|km2|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
|{{Pop density|260663|21.0|km2|sqmi}}
|}

The municipality of Fez is governed by a 91-member council, elected by direct universal suffrage every six years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mapfes.ma/fr/abdeslam-bekkali-du-rni-elu-president-du-conseil-communal-de-fes/ |title=Abdeslam Bekkali du RNI, élu président du Conseil communal de Fès |language=fr |publisher=MAP |date=2021-09-20 |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190603/http://www.mapfes.ma/fr/abdeslam-bekkali-du-rni-elu-president-du-conseil-communal-de-fes/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite report |title=Le rôle des élus au sein des communes du Maroc: vers une gouvernance locale plus proche des citoyens |url=https://www.oecd.org/mena/governance/le-role-des-elus-au-sein-des-communes-du-maroc.pdf |language=fr |page=28 |publisher=[[Organization:OECD|OECD]] |year=2017 |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190604/https://www.oecd.org/mena/governance/le-role-des-elus-au-sein-des-communes-du-maroc.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''arrondissements'' of  Zouagha and Marininyine elect 17 councillors each; Jnane El Ward and Saiss elect 16 councillors each; Agdal elects 13, and Fès-Médina elects 12.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://leseco.ma/lapolitique/fes-bekkali-prend-les-renes-de-la-mairie.html |title=Fès: Bekkali prend les rênes de la mairie |language=fr |date=2021-09-15 |website=LesEco.ma |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190604/https://leseco.ma/lapolitique/fes-bekkali-prend-les-renes-de-la-mairie.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Executive power is wielded by a president and ten vice-presidents, which are elected by the council.<ref>{{cite web |last=Benabdellah |first=Yahya |url=https://www.medias24.com/2021/09/20/abdeslam-bekkali-rni-elu-nouveau-maire-de-fes/ |title=Abdeslam Bekkali (RNI) élu nouveau maire de Fès |language=fr |website={{ill|Médias 24|fr}} |date=2021-09-20 |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190603/https://www.medias24.com/2021/09/20/abdeslam-bekkali-rni-elu-nouveau-maire-de-fes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, Abdeslam Bekkali, a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), succeeded Driss Azami El Idrissi as the new president of the municipality of Fez.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kasraoui |first1=Safaa |title=RNI's Abdeslam Bekkali Becomes New Mayor of Fez |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/09/344513/rnis-abdeslam-bekkali-becomes-new-mayor-in-fez |publisher=Morocco World News |date=2021-09-20 |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190602/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/09/344513/rnis-abdeslam-bekkali-becomes-new-mayor-in-fez |url-status=live }}</ref>

The municipality of Méchouar Fès Jdid consists of the neighborhood of Fes Jdid in the old city and forms an enclave within the municipality of Fez. Established in 1992, it is only {{convert|1.6|km2}} in extent,<ref>{{cite report |last=Jettou |first=Driss |title=Rapport d'activités relatif à l'exercice 2013: Volume II, Livre III |url=http://www.courdescomptes.ma/upload/MoDUle_20/File_20_170.pdf |page=47 |publisher=Court of Accounts of Morocco |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404054021/http://www.courdescomptes.ma/upload/MoDUle_20/File_20_170.pdf }}</ref> and recorded a population of 20,560 in the 2014 census.<ref name="census2014" /> The municipality possesses a special administrative status as the location of a royal palace (the ''Dar al-Makhzen'' or ''méchouar''), one of four such municipalities (French: ''communes des méchouars'') in Morocco. The other three are located in Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Rabat. These four municipalities are governed by special provisions that do not apply to ordinary municipalities.<ref name="signoles" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Es-Sallak |first=Nada |title=Histoire urbaine de la ville de Fès et Pouvoirs politiques |url=https://journals.usj.edu.lb/interaxxions/article/view/612/518 |journal=InteraXXIons |issue=1 |pages=25–40 |date=2021-06-14 |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016190605/https://journals.usj.edu.lb/interaxxions/article/view/612/518 }}</ref>

The subdivisions of Fez Prefecture are grouped into two [[Social:Electoral district|electoral district]]s, North Fez and South Fez, each of which elects four members to the House of Representatives. North Fez consists of the ''arrondissements'' of El Mariniyine, Fès-Médina, and Zouagha and the municipality of Méchouar Fès Jdid. South Fez consists of the other three ''arrondissements'' of Agdal, Jnan El Ouard, and Saiss, and the three rural municipalities outside the city of Fez.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lematin.ma/journal/2011/Ambiance-electorale-a-Fes_Sur-un-air-de-changement/159310.html |title=Ambiance électorale à Fès: Sur un air de changement |date=2011-11-25 |website=Le Matin |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017050615/https://lematin.ma/journal/2011/Ambiance-electorale-a-Fes_Sur-un-air-de-changement/159310.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Benabdellah |first=Yahya |url=https://www.medias24.com/2021/09/17/legislatives-2021-qui-a-ete-elu-dans-votre-circonscription-17-cartes-interactives/ |title=Législatives 2021: qui a été élu dans votre circonscription ? (17 cartes interactives) |language=fr |date=2021-09-17 |website=Médias 24 |access-date=2021-10-16 |archive-date=2021-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017050623/https://www.medias24.com/2021/09/17/legislatives-2021-qui-a-ete-elu-dans-votre-circonscription-17-cartes-interactives/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Landmarks ==

===Medina of Fez===

The historic city of Fez consists of Fes el-Bali, the original city on both shores of the Oued Fes (River of Fez), and the smaller Fez Jdid, founded on higher ground to the west in the 13th century. It is distinct from Fez's now much larger ''Ville Nouvelle'' (new city). Fes el-Bali is the oldest continuously inhabited [[Engineering:Medina quarter|walled city]] in the Arab world,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salameh |first=Ramy |date=2016-05-27 |title=Fez celebrates Morocco's women through sacred music |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2016/5/27/fez-celebrates-moroccos-women-through-sacred-music |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=[[Engineering:Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-date=2023-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806083421/https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2016/5/27/fez-celebrates-moroccos-women-through-sacred-music |url-status=live }}</ref> and one of the largest and oldest urban pedestrian zones (car-free areas) in the whole world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zeunert |first=Joshua |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BlW6DQAAQBAJ |title=Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sustainability: Creating Positive Change Through Design |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-350-03382-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Roquet |first1=Vincent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XV8vDgAAQBAJ |title=Urban Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement: Linking Innovation and Local Benefits |last2=Bornholdt |first2=Luciano |last3=Sirker |first3=Karen |last4=Lukic |first4=Jelena |publisher=World Bank Publications |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4648-0981-1 |page=91 |language=en |chapter=Livelihood Restoration for Informal Urban Occupations: Examples from Morocco and Pakistan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hEvCpNW2qBwC&dq=largest+car-free+area+in+the+world&pg=PA253 |title=The Report: Morocco 2009 |publisher=Oxford Business Group |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-907065-07-1 |page=253 |language=en}}</ref> It is the site of the famous Qarawiyyin University and the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, the most important religious and cultural sites, while Fez el-Jdid is the site of the 195 acre Royal Palace,<ref>{{cite web|title=The 10 Best Royal Palace of Fez (Fes Dar el-Makhzen) Tours & Tickets 2021 {{!}} Viator|url=https://www.viator.com/Fez-attractions/Royal-Palace-of-Fez-Dar-el-Makhzen/d22151-a23104|access-date=2021-10-20|website=www.viator.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020070840/https://www.viator.com/Fez-attractions/Royal-Palace-of-Fez-Dar-el-Makhzen/d22151-a23104|url-status=live}}</ref> still used by the King of Morocco today. These two historic cities are linked together and are usually referred to together as the "medina" of Fez, though this term is sometimes applied more restrictively to Fes el-Bali only.{{efn|''Medina'' is the Arabic word for "city", which in former French colonies in North Africa is also used to refer to the old part of a city, as the French largely generally built new cities (''Ville Nouvelles'') next to them and left the historic cities intact.<ref>{{cite web|title=What does Medina mean?|url=https://www.definitions.net/definition/Medina|access-date=2021-10-20|website=www.definitions.net|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020071607/https://www.definitions.net/definition/Medina|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Fez is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination and many non-Moroccans are now restoring traditional houses (riads and dars) as second homes in the medina. In 1981, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ([[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]]) designated ''Medina of Fez'' a World Heritage site, describing it as "one of the most extensive and best conserved historic towns of the Arab-Muslim world."<ref name="UNESCO-2021" /> It was the first site in Morocco to be granted this status.<ref>{{cite web|title=Morocco|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ma|access-date=2021-09-29|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|archive-date=2023-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217015210/https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ma|url-status=live}}</ref>{{wide image|Panorama of Fes (5364676502).jpg|1200px|align-cap=center|Panoramic view of Fes el-Bali|alt=refer to caption}}

===Places of worship===
[[File:Inside of a mosque in Fes (5364764412).jpg|thumb|Interior of the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II in Fes el-Bali|alt=Interior of the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II showing elaborate decorative architecture]]
[[File:Slat El Fassiyine Synagogue 18022021 007.jpg|alt=Interior of the Al Fassiyin Synagogue showing pillars and a chandelier|thumb|Interior of the Al-Fassiyin Synagogue in the Mellah]]
There are numerous historic [[Engineering:Mosque|mosque]]s in the medina, some of which are part of a madrasa or [[Religion:Zawiya (institution)|zawiya]]. Among the oldest still standing today are the Mosque of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 857 and subsequently expanded,<ref name="Terrasse-1968" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Qantara – The al-Qarawīyīn Mosque|url=https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=308&lang=en|access-date=2021-09-29|website=www.qantara-med.org|archive-date=2021-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930000059/https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=308&lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> the Mosque of the Andalusians founded in 859–860,<ref>{{cite web|title=Jami' al-Andalusiyyin|url=https://archnet.org/sites/1722|access-date=2021-09-29|website=Archnet|archive-date=2021-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111003908/https://archnet.org/sites/1722|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Terrasse-1942a">{{Cite book|last1=Terrasse|first1=Henri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oPL-zQEACAAJ|title=La mosquée des Andalous à Fès|publisher=Les Éditions d'art et d'histoire|year=1942|location=Paris|language=fr}}</ref>{{Rp|7}} the Bou Jeloud Mosque from the late 12th century,<ref name="Terrasse-1964">{{Cite journal|last=Terrasse|first=Henri|date=1964|title=La mosquée almohade de Bou Jeloud à Fès|journal=Al-Andalus|volume=29|issue=2|pages=355–363}}</ref> and possibly the Mosque of the Kasbah en-Nouar (which may have existed in the [[Place:Almohad Caliphate|Almohad]] period but was likely rebuilt much later<ref name="Gaudio-1982" /><ref name="Le Tourneau-1949">{{Cite book |last=Le Tourneau |first=Roger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_t9yAAAAMAAJ |title=Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman |publisher=Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition |year=1949 |location=Casablanca |language=fr}}</ref>). The very oldest mosques of the city, dating back to its first years, were the Mosque of the Sharifs (or Shurafa Mosque) and the Mosque of the Sheikhs (or al-Anouar Mosque); however, they no longer exist in their original form. The Mosque of the Sharifs was the burial site of Idris II and evolved into the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II that exists today, while the al-Anouar Mosque has left only minor remnants.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|33}}

A number of mosques from the important Marinid era, when Fes Jdid was created to be the capital of Morocco, include the Great Mosque of Fez el-Jdid from 1276, the Abu al-Hasan Mosque from 1341,<ref>[https://archnet.org/sites/1721 Abu al-Hassan Mosque] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111003948/https://archnet.org/sites/1721 |date=2021-01-11 }}. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref> the Chrabliyine Mosque from 1342,<ref name="Ar2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20131006045900/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=1675 Fez]. ''Archnet''. Retrieved January 23, 2018.</ref> and the al-Hamra Mosque from around the same period.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Salmon|first=Xavier|title=Fès mérinide: Une capitale pour les arts, 1276–1465|publisher=Lienart|year=2021|isbn=978-2-35906-335-6|page=92}}</ref> The Bab Guissa Mosque was also founded in the reign of Abu al-Hasan (1331–1351), but modified in later centuries.<ref name="Touri-2010">{{Cite book|title=Le Maroc andalou: à la découverte d'un art de vivre|last1=Touri|first1=Abdelaziz|last2=Benaboud|first2=Mhammad|last3=Boujibar El-Khatib|first3=Naïma|last4=Lakhdar|first4=Kamal|last5=Mezzine|first5=Mohamed|publisher=Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers|year=2010|isbn=978-3-902782-31-1|edition=2nd}}</ref> Other major mosques from the more recent 'Alawi period are the Moulay Abdallah Mosque, built in the early to mid-18th century with the tomb of Sultan Moulay Abdallah,<ref name="Marçais-1954" />{{Rp|391}} and the R'cif Mosque, built in the reign of Moulay Slimane (1793–1822).<ref name="El Mghari-2017">{{Cite journal|last=El Mghari|first=Mina|date=2017|title=Tendances architecturales de la mosquée marocaine (XVIIème-XIXème siècles)|journal=Hespéris-Tamuda|volume=LII (3)|pages=229–254}}</ref> The Zawiya of Moulay Idris II and the Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani include mosque areas as well, as do several other prominent zawiyas in the city.<ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|118–131}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Mezzine|first=Mohamed|title=Mulay Idris Mausoleum|url=http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;ma;mon01;20;en|access-date=2021-09-29|website=Discover Islamic Art – Virtual Museum|archive-date=2021-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019024905/http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;ma;mon01;20;en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|132–133}} The {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}} also includes many modern mosques, the largest of which is the Imam Malik Mosque which opened in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mosquée Imam Malik|url=https://www.madein.city/fes/fr/places/mosquee-imam-malik-19003/|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.madein.city|language=fr|archive-date=2021-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227221328/https://www.madein.city/fes/fr/places/mosquee-imam-malik-19003/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2021-04-21|title=La mosquée Imam Malik, un joyau architectural au cœur de la capitale spirituelle|url=http://www.mapfes.ma/fr/la-mosquee-imam-malik-un-joyau-architectural-au-coeur-de-la-capitale-spirituelle/|access-date=2021-10-20|website=MapFes|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020225839/http://www.mapfes.ma/fr/la-mosquee-imam-malik-un-joyau-architectural-au-coeur-de-la-capitale-spirituelle/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fès {{!}} Masjid Tunis|url=https://archnet.org/authorities/3657/sites/16838|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Archnet|archive-date=2021-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902001346/https://archnet.org/authorities/3657/sites/16838|url-status=live}}</ref>

Elsewhere, the Jewish quarter (Mellah) is the site of the 17th-century Al-Fassiyin Synagogue and Ibn Danan Synagogue, as well multiple other lesser-known synagogues, though none of them are functioning today.<ref name="Gilson Miller-2001a" /> According to the World Jewish Congress there are only 150 Moroccan Jews remaining in Fes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/MA|title=World Jewish Congress|first=World Jewish|last=Congress|website=World Jewish Congress|access-date=2021-01-12|archive-date=2019-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402004157/http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/MA|url-status=live}}</ref> The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, the only Catholic church in Fez, was established in 1919 or 1920, during the French colonial period. The current building was constructed in 1928 and expanded in 1933. Today it is part of the Archdiocese of Rabat, and it was most recently restored in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|last=Audurier Cros|first=Alix|date=|title=L'Église St François d'Assise, Fes, Maroc|url=http://www.afa-asso.net/AFA-1/EgliseFes-histoire.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207215256/http://www.afa-asso.net/AFA-1/EgliseFes-histoire.pdf|archive-date=2019-12-07|website=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Diocèse de Rabat|url=http://www.dioceserabat.org/paroisses|access-date=2021-01-12|website=www.dioceserabat.org|archive-date=2020-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711124719/http://www.dioceserabat.org/paroisses|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Église de Saint François d'Assise|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/africa/58840.htm|access-date=2021-01-12|website=GCatholic|archive-date=2020-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811221856/http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/africa/58840.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Madrasas===
[[File:Al-Attarine Madrasa YAC 2017.jpg|thumb|[[Organization:Al-Attarine Madrasa|Al-Attarine Madrasa]] built in 1323–1325 in Fes el-Bali|alt=Interior facade of Al-Attarine Madrasa, showing ornate decoration]]
The al-Qarawiyyin was established in 857 by Fatima al-Fihri, originally as a mosque, now a university.<ref name="Terrasse-1942b">{{Cite book |last=Terrasse |first=Henri |title=La mosquée des Andalous à Fès |publisher=Les Éditions d'art et d'histoire |year=1942 |location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|9}}<ref name="Bloom-2020">{{Cite book|last=Bloom|first=Jonathan M.|title=Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2020}}</ref>{{Rp|40}} It is the oldest existing and continually operating degree-awarding educational institution in the world according to [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]] and Guinness World Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/oldest-university|title=Oldest higher-learning institution, oldest university|website=Guinnessworldrecords.com|access-date=22 August 2018|archive-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007183911/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/oldest-university|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="UNESCO-2021" /> The Marinid dynasty devoted great attention to the construction of madrasas following the Maliki school, resulting in the unprecedented prosperity of the city's religious institutions. The first madrasa built during the Marinid era was the Saffarin Madrasa in Fes el-Bali by Sultan Abu Yusuf in 1271.<ref name="Kubisch-2011">Kubisch, Natascha (2011). "Maghreb – Architecture" in Hattstein, Markus and Delius, Peter (eds.) ''Islam: Art and Architecture''. h.f.ullmann.</ref>{{Rp|312}} Sultan Abu al-Hasan was the most prolific patron of madrasa construction, completing the [[Organization:Al-Attarine Madrasa|Al-Attarine]], Mesbahiyya and Sahrij Madrasas. His son Abu Inan Faris built the Bou Inania Madrasa, and by the time of his death, every major city in the Marinid Empire had at least one madrasa.<ref name="Pe" /> The library of al-Qarawiyyin, which holds a large collection of manuscripts from the medieval era, was also established under Marinid rule around 1350.<ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|148}} It is widely believed to be the oldest library in the world that is still open.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shaheen |first=Kareem |date=2016-09-19 |title=World's oldest library reopens in Fez: 'You can hurt us, but you can't hurt the books' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/sep/19/books-world-oldest-library-fez-morocco |access-date=2023-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2019-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429125939/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/sep/19/books-world-oldest-library-fez-morocco |url-status=live }}</ref> The largest madrasa in the medina is Cherratine Madrasa, which was commissioned by the 'Alawi sultan Al-Rashid in 1670 and is the only major non-Marinid foundation besides the Madrasa of al-Qarawiyyin.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121217001705/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2569 Shiratin Madrasa]. ''Archnet''. Retrieved January 23, 2018.</ref>

===Tombs and mausoleums===
[[File:Zaouiya Tidjaniya de Fès - grille.jpg|thumb|upright|Interior of the mausoleum of Ahmad al-Tijani (d. 1815) in the Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani in Fes el-Bali|alt=Interior of the mausoleum of Ahmad al-Tijani showing chandeliers, a decorated gate, and archways]]
Located in the heart of Fes el-Bali, the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II is a ''zawiya'' (a shrine and religious complex; also spelled ''zaouia''), dedicated to and containing the tomb of Idris II (or Moulay Idris II when including his sharifian title) who is considered the main founder of the city of Fez.<ref name="Fes-2007b" /><ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987a">{{Cite book|title=A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period|last=Abun-Nasr|first=Jamil|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1987|isbn=0-521-33767-4|location=Cambridge}}</ref>{{Rp|51}} Another well-known and important zawiya is the Zawiyia of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani, which commemorates Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani, the founder of Tijaniyyah ''[[Religion:Tariqa|tariqa]]'' from the 18th century.<ref>[https://archnet.org/sites/1737 Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani Zawiya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112010106/https://archnet.org/sites/1737 |date=2021-01-12 }}. ''Archnet''. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref> A number of zawiyas are scattered elsewhere across the city, many containing the tombs of important [[Religion:Sufism|Sufi]] saints or scholars, such as the Zawiya of Sidi Abdelkader al-Fassi, the Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed esh-Shawi, and the Zawiya of Sidi Taoudi Ben Souda.<ref name="Vimercati Sanseverino-2014">{{Cite book|last=Vimercati Sanseverino|first=Ruggero|url=http://books.openedition.org/cjb/498|title=Fès et sainteté, de la fondation à l'avènement du Protectorat (808–1912): Hagiographie, tradition spirituelle et héritage prophétique dans la ville de Mawlāy Idrīs|publisher=Centre Jacques-Berque|year=2014|isbn=979-10-92046-17-5|location=Rabat|access-date=2020-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817151441/https://books.openedition.org/cjb/498|archive-date=2020-08-17|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|579}}<ref name="Skali-2007">{{Cite book|last=Skali|first=Faouzi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yMgzlpUrZV0C&pg=PP1|title=Saints et sanctuaires de Fés|publisher=Marsam|year=2007|isbn=978-9954-21-086-4}}</ref>{{Rp|62, 149}}

The old city contains several major historic cemeteries which stand outside the walls of Fes el-Bali, namely the cemeteries of Bab Ftouh (the most significant), Bab Mahrouk, and Bab Guissa. Some include marabouts or domed structures, containing the tombs of local Muslim saints (often considered Sufis), for example the Marabout of Sidi Harazem in the Bab Ftouh Cemetery.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|114, 468, 604}} The ruins of the Marinid Tombs, built during the 14th century as a necropolis for the Marinid sultans, are close to the Bab Guissa Cemetery.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a">{{Cite book |last=Métalsi |first=Mohamed |title=Fès: La ville essentielle |publisher=ACR Édition Internationale |year=2003 |isbn=978-2-86770-152-8 |location=Paris |language=fr}}</ref>{{Rp|8}}

===Fortifications===

[[File:Fes-Morocco 59.jpg|alt=refer to caption|thumb|City walls of Fez (northern section).]]
The entire medina of Fez was heavily fortified with crenelated walls with watchtowers and gates, a pattern of urban planning which can be seen in Salé and Chellah as well.<ref name="Pe">Penell, C.R. (2013), ''Morocco: From Empire to Independence''; Oneworld Publications. pp. 66–67.{{ISBN?}}</ref> The oldest sections of the walls today, on the north side of Fes el-Bali, date back to the Almohad period.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|36}} The gates of Fez, scattered along the circuit of walls, were guarded by the military detachments and shut at night.<ref name="Pe" /> Some of the main gates have existed, in different forms, since the earliest years of the city.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|40–58}} The oldest gates today, and historically the most important ones of Fes el-Bali, are Bab Mahrouk (in the west), Bab Guissa (in the northeast), and Bab Ftouh (in the southeast).<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|56, 109, 123, 126, 138, 142}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|36–41}} The main gates of Fes Jdid include Bab Dekkakin, Bab Semmarine, and Bab al-Amer.<ref name="Bressolette-1983" /> In modern times, the function of gates became more ceremonial rather than defensive, as reflected by the 1913 construction of the decorative Bab Bou Jeloud gate at the western entrance of Fes el-Bali by the French colonial administration.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|42}}

Several forts were constructed along the defensive perimeters of the medina during different time periods. A "kasbah" in the context of Maghrebi region is the traditional military structure for fortification, military preparation, command and control. Some of them were occupied as well by citizens, certain tribal groups, and merchants. Throughout the city's history, 13 kasbahs were constructed.<ref name="As">[http://assabah.ma/70643.html <span class="ar" style="font-size:1.15em;line-height:1.25em;font-family:" Markazi Text",sans-serif;">نفائس فاس العتيقة</span> : <span class="ar" style="font-size:1.15em;line-height:1.25em;font-family:" Markazi Text",sans-serif;">بناء</span> 13 <span class="ar" style="font-size:1.15em;line-height:1.25em;font-family:" Markazi Text",sans-serif;">قصبة لأغراض عسكرية</span>] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128001836/https://assabah.ma/70643.html |date=2021-01-28 }}. ''Assabah''. Retrieved January 11, 2018.</ref> Among them is the Kasbah an-Nouar, the Kasbah Tamdert, and the Kasbah Cherarda.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|36–37}}<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|105–108}} The Saadis also built a number of bastions and forts in the late 16th century including Borj Nord and its sister fort, Borj Sud.<ref>[http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;12;ar&pageD=N <span class="ar" style="font-size:1.15em;line-height:1.25em;font-family:" Markazi Text",sans-serif;" '>البرج الشمالي</span>] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122125829/http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;12;ar&pageD=N |date=2018-01-22 }}. ''Museum with no Frontiers''. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref><ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|84, 105}}

===Tanneries===
[[File:Chouara Tannery - 156 - Marokko Handybilder 2018 - Fes (41497450044).jpg|thumb|Leather tanning in Chouara Tannery|alt=Large open-air vats of color dyes with tannery workers amongst them]]
Since the city's foundation, the tanning industry has been continually operating in Fez and is considered one of the main tourist attractions. There are three tanneries in the city, largest among them is Chouara Tannery near the Saffarin Madrasa along the river. The tanneries are packed with the round stone wells filled with dye or white liquids for softening the hides. The leather goods produced in the tanneries are exported around the world.<ref>[https://archnet.org/sites/10359 Chouara Tannery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111005507/https://archnet.org/sites/10359 |date=2021-01-11 }}. ''Archnet''. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2015-05-04/why-you-need-to-visit-fez-morocco-in-20-photos-travel-guide Why You Need to Visit Fez in 20 Photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111003656/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2015-05-04/why-you-need-to-visit-fez-morocco-in-20-photos-travel-guide |date=2021-01-11 }}. ''Bloomberg''. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref><ref>Aziza Chaouni: Hybrid Urban Sutures: Filling in the Gaps in the Medina of Fez." Archit 96 no. 1 (2007): 58–63.</ref> The two other major tanneries are the Sidi Moussa Tannery to the west of the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II and the Ain Azliten Tannery in the neighbourhood of the same name on the northern edge of Fes el-Bali.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|220}}[[File:Kings palace in Fes (5364773212).jpg|thumb|Gates of the 'Alawi Royal Palace (Dar al-Makhzen)|alt=refer to caption]]

=== Historic palaces and residences ===
Many old private residences have also survived to this day, in various states of conservation. The typical traditional house (''dar'') is centered around an internal courtyard. Some of these houses also had internal gardens known as a ''riad''.<ref name="Wilbaux-2001">{{Cite book|last=Wilbaux|first=Quentin|title=La médina de Marrakech: Formation des espaces urbains d'une ancienne capitale du Maroc|publisher=L'Harmattan|year=2001|isbn=2-7475-2388-8|location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|55–75}}<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|495–496}} Such private houses include the Dar al-Alami,<ref>{{cite web|title=Alami House|url=https://archnet.org/sites/2555|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111014401/https://archnet.org/sites/2555|archive-date=2021-01-11|access-date=2020-01-24|website=Archnet}}</ref> the Dar Saada (now a restaurant), Dar 'Adiyil, Dar Belghazi, and others. Larger and richer mansions, such as the Dar Mnebhi, Dar Moqri, and Jamai Palace, have also been preserved.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|103–156}} Numerous traditional houses, popularly known as "riads", are now utilized as hotels for the tourism industry.<ref>{{cite web|title=Accommodation in Morocco {{!}} Where to stay in Morocco|url=https://www.roughguides.com/morocco/accommodation/|access-date=2021-09-29|website=Rough Guides|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006162847/https://www.roughguides.com/morocco/accommodation/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Jamai Palace was converted into a luxury hotel, known as ''Palais Jamaï'', in the early 20th century.<ref name="Histoire du Maroc-2021">{{cite web|title=Histoire du Maroc: Palais Jamai, Patrimoine universel. – Cabinet Consulting Expertise International|url=https://groupe-cceinternational.com/fr/histoire-du-maroc-palais-jamai-patrimoine-universel/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411030740/https://groupe-cceinternational.com/fr/histoire-du-maroc-palais-jamai-patrimoine-universel/|archive-date=2021-04-11|access-date=2020-06-15|language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|116}} The lavish former mansion of the Glaoui clan, known as the Dar Glaoui, is partly open to visitors but still privately owned.<ref>{{cite web|title=Palais Glaoui {{!}} Fez, Morocco Attractions|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/fez/attractions/palais-glaoui/a/poi-sig/1552465/355510|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907075851/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/fez/attractions/palais-glaoui/a/poi-sig/1552465/355510|archive-date=2017-09-07|access-date=2020-01-24|website=www.lonelyplanet.com|language=en}}</ref>

As a former capital, the city contains several royal palaces as well. Dar Batha is a former palace completed by the 'Alawi Sultan Abdelaziz. In 1915 it was turned into a museum of historical art and artifacts, containing around 6,000 pieces.<ref name="Mezzine-2021">{{cite web|last=Mezzine|first=Mohamed|title=Batha Palace|url=http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;22;en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120231856/http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;22;en|archive-date=2021-01-20|website=Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers}}</ref> A large area of Fes Jdid is also taken up by the 80-hectare Royal Palace, or Dar al-Makhzen. Its ornate gates built in 1969–71 are the main feature visible to the public. Its grounds are not open to the public, as they are still used by the King of Morocco when visiting the city.<ref name="Parker-1981" />{{Rp|148}}<ref name="Rough Guides-2019a" />

===Gardens===
The Jnane Sbile Garden, between Fes Jdid and Fes el-Bali, is the oldest surviving garden in Fez and was created as a royal park and garden in the 19th century by Sultan Moulay Hassan I.<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|296}}<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|100}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://morocco.falktime.com/jnane-sbile-garden/|title=Jnane Sbile or Bab Bou Jeloud garden in Fez|date=2018-07-09|website=Morocco.FalkTime|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-09|archive-date=2021-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111005853/https://morocco.falktime.com/jnane-sbile-garden/|url-status=live}}</ref> Many bourgeois and aristocratic mansions also had private gardens, especially in the southwestern part of Fes el-Bali.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|124, 482}} Other gardens also exist within the grounds of the historic royal palaces of the city, such as the Agdal and Lalla Mina Gardens in the Royal Palace or the gardens of the Dar el-Beida (originally attached to Dar Batha).<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|90, 97}}<ref name="Métalsi-2003a" />{{Rp|154, 294–296}}<ref name="Parker-1981">{{Cite book|last=Parker|first=Richard|title=A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco|publisher=The Baraka Press|year=1981|location=Charlottesville, VA}}</ref>{{Rp|150}}

===Funduqs (historic merchant buildings)===
The old city of Fez includes more than a hundred ''funduq''s or ''foundouk''s (traditional inns, or urban caravanserais). These commercial buildings housed the workshops of artisans or provided lodging for merchants and travelers.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|318}} They also frequently served as venues for other commercial activities such as markets and auctions.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|190–191, 280, 307–308}} The Funduq al-Najjarin was built in the 18th century by Amin Adiyil to provide accommodation and storage for merchants and now houses the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts.<ref>[https://archnet.org/sites/1397 Funduq al-Najjariyyin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111014933/https://archnet.org/sites/1397 |date=2021-01-11 }}. ''Archnet''. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref><ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|134}} Other major important examples include the Funduq Shamma'in (also spelled ''Foundouk Chemmaïne'') and the Funduq Staouniyyin (or Funduq of the [[Place:Tétouan|Tetouanis]]), both dating from the Marinid era or earlier, and the Funduq Sagha which is contemporary with the Funduq al-Najjariyyin.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" /><ref name="Touri-2010" /><ref name="L'Économiste-2016">{{cite web|date=2016-04-08|title=Fès: Les fondouks de la médina restaurés et labellisés|url=https://www.leconomiste.com/article/996261-fes-les-fondouks-de-la-medina-restaures-et-labellises|access-date=2020-04-07|website=L'Économiste|language=fr|archive-date=2021-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117151913/https://www.leconomiste.com/article/996261-fes-les-fondouks-de-la-medina-restaures-et-labellises|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Qantara-2021">{{cite web|title=Qantara – The al-Shammā'īn Funduq|url=https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=1012&lang=en|access-date=2020-04-07|website=www.qantara-med.org|archive-date=2021-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123101100/https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=1012&lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="El Idrissi El Omari-2017">{{Cite journal|last1=El Idrissi El Omari|first1=Mouhcine|last2=Laoukili|first2=Montaser|last3=Akasbi|first3=Mounir|date=2017|title=Fouilles archéologiques à Funduq Ṣāgha à Fès: Éléments pour une lecture de l'urbanisme de la ville|journal=Hespéris-Tamuda|volume=LII (3)|pages=209–227}}</ref>

=== Hammams (bathhouses) ===
[[File:Marocco Fez(26855722427).jpg|thumb|Rooftop view of the domes of the Saffarin Hammam,<ref name=":N1">{{Cite journal|last1=Sibley|first1=Magda|last2=Jackson|first2=Iain|date=2012|title=The architecture of Islamic public baths of North Africa and the Middle East: an analysis of their internal spatial configurations|journal=Architectural Research Quarterly|volume=16|issue=2|pages=155–170|doi=10.1017/S1359135512000462|s2cid=111065262}}</ref> located at Place Seffarine|alt=refer to caption]]
Fez has preserved many of its historic hammams (public bathhouses in the Muslim world) which continue to be used by local people.<ref name="Sibley-2006">{{Cite book |last=Sibley |first=Magda |title=Lessons from vernacular Architecture |date=2013 |chapter=The historic hammams of Damascus and Fez |publisher=[[Company:Routledge|Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-84407-600-0 |editor-last=Weber |editor-first=Willi |location=London |pages=77–91 |editor-last2=Yannas |editor-first2=Simos}}</ref><ref name="Raftani-2008">{{Cite journal|last1=Raftani|first1=Kamal|last2=Radoine|first2=Hassan|date=2008|title=The Architecture of the Hammams of Fez, Morocco|url=https://archnet.org/publications/5172|journal=Archnet-IJAR|volume=2|issue=3|pages=56–68|access-date=2020-09-16|archive-date=2020-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916232411/https://archnet.org/publications/5172|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Secret|first=Edm.|date=1942|title=Les hammams de Fes|url=http://bnm.bnrm.ma:86/ClientBin/images/book898916/doc.pdf|journal=Bulletin de l'Institut d'Hygiène du Maroc|volume=2|pages=61–78|access-date=2020-09-16|archive-date=2021-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830230230/http://bnm.bnrm.ma:86/ClientBin/images/book898916/doc.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Examples, all dating from around the 14th century, include the Hammam as-Saffarin, the Hammam al-Mokhfiya, and the Hammam Ben Abbad.<ref name="Terrasse-1950">{{Cite book|last=Terrasse|first=Henri|title=Mélanges offerts à William Marçais par l'Institut d'études islamiques de l'Université de Paris|publisher=Éditions G.-P. Maisonneuve|year=1950|location=Paris|pages=311–320|chapter=Trois Bains Mérinides du Maroc}}</ref><ref name="Sibley-2006" /><ref name="Raftani-2008" /> They were generally built next to a well or natural spring which provided water, while the sloping topography of the city allowed for easy drainage.<ref name="Sibley-2006" /> The layout of the traditional hammam in the region was inherited from the Roman bathhouse model, consisting of a changing room, a cold room, a warm room, and a hot room.<ref name="Sibley-2006" /><ref name="Raftani-2008" /> Though their architecture can be very functional, some of them, like the Hammam as-Saffarin and the Hammam al-Mokhfiya, feature more decoration. The hammams are identifiable from the exterior by the domes and vaults above their main chambers.<ref name="Sibley-2006" />

=== ''Ville Nouvelle'' ===
[[File:Fes Avenue Hassan II DSCF6332.jpg|thumb|Avenue Hassan II in the ''Ville Nouvelle'' (New City)|alt=A pedestrian area with benches surrounded by trees between two roadways]]
The ''Ville Nouvelle'' is centered around Avenue Hassan II, a wide street laid out by the French colonial administration after 1912 and known then as ''Avenue de France''.<ref name="Jelidi-2012-1">{{Cite book|last=Jelidi|first=Charlotte|url=https://books.openedition.org/enseditions/959?lang=en|title=Fès, la fabrication d'une ville nouvelle (1912–1956)|publisher=ENS Éditions|year=2012|isbn=978-2-84788-239-1|access-date=2021-10-20|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021014804/https://books.openedition.org/enseditions/959?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|139}} A tree-lined park area runs along its middle between the lanes for car traffic. At the avenue's northeastern end is ''Place de la Résistance'' (originally called Place Gambetta), a large roundabout with a fountain at its center.<ref>{{cite web|title=Place de la Résistance|url=https://www.madein.city/fes/fr/places/place-de-la-resistance-19009/|access-date=2021-10-20|website=www.madein.city|language=fr|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020220225/https://www.madein.city/fes/fr/places/place-de-la-resistance-19009/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hassa-2016">{{Cite book|last=Hassa|first=Samira|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5xPDAAAQBAJ&dq=place+ahmed+el+mansour+fes&pg=PA82|title=Place Names in Africa: Colonial Urban Legacies, Entangled Histories|publisher=Springer|year=2016|isbn=978-3-319-32485-2|editor-last=Bigon|editor-first=Liora|pages=79–92|chapter=From 'Avenue de France' to 'Boulevard Hassan II': Toponymic Inscription and the Construction of Nationhood in Fès, Morocco}}</ref>{{Rp|82}} Further south along the same avenue is Place Florence (originally Place Lyautey), a wide plaza planted with trees and originally designed as a public garden.<ref>{{cite web|title=Place de Florence|url=https://www.madein.city/fes/fr/places/place-de-florence-19008/|access-date=2021-10-20|website=www.madein.city|language=fr|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020220223/https://www.madein.city/fes/fr/places/place-de-florence-19008/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Un concours d'architecture maroco-italien pour restaurer une place de Fès|url=https://www.bladi.net/concours-restaurer-place-fes.html|access-date=2021-10-20|website=Bladi.net|language=fr|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020220227/https://www.bladi.net/concours-restaurer-place-fes.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hassa-2016" />{{Rp|82}} At the southwest end of the avenue is Place Ahmed El Mansour (originally Place Galliéni).<ref name="Hassa-2016" />{{Rp|82}}

During the colonial period the main public buildings of the city were erected along and around this main avenue.<ref name="Jelidi-2012-1" />{{Rp|139}} Buildings from this period were constructed in a mix of ''mauresque'' (neo-Moorish or Moroccan), Art Deco, and [[History:Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] styles.<ref name="Jelidi-2012-1" />{{Rp|172–192}} On the south side of Place Florence is the Bank al-Maghrib building, built between 1928 and 1931 by architect René Canu.<ref name="Jelidi-2012-1" />{{Rp|181}} Nearby, on the east side of Avenue Hassan II, is the Central Post Office building. The first post office here was built in 1925 and 1927 by architect Edmond Pauty, but it was rebuilt and expanded in its current form by architect Emile Toulon in 1946–1947.<ref name="Jelidi-2012-1" />{{Rp|433}} The Court of Appeals building, located southwest of the post office, was constructed in 1934–1936 by architects Adrien Laforgue and Antoine Marchisio and it originally housed the Court of First Instance (''Tribunal de première instance'').<ref name="Jelidi-2012-1" />{{Rp|181}}

== Culture ==
Fez is considered the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco.<ref name="UNESCO-2021" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Usman |first=Aribidesi |title=African Kingdoms: An Encyclopedia of Empires and Civilizations |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-61069-580-0 |editor-last=Aderinto |editor-first=Saheed |page=90 |chapter=Fez |access-date=2021-11-17 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZAwDwAAQBAJ&dq=fez+spiritual+capital&pg=PA90}}</ref><ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|17–18}} It is often called the "[[Place:Mecca|Mecca]] of the West" and the "[[Place:Athens|Athens]] of Africa."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Johnston |first1=Keith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPs7AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22mecca+of+the+west%22+fez&pg=PA33 |title=Africa |last2=Keane |first2=Augustus Henry |publisher=E. Stanford |year=1880 |page=33 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Lawrence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7fxEAAAAIAAJ&q=%22mecca+of+the+west%22+fez |title=With Mulai Hafid at Fez: Behind the Scenes in Morocco |publisher=Smith, elder & Company |year=1909 |page=139 |language=en |access-date=2021-11-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Conder |first=Josiah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=upIOBhbzDTAC&dq=%22athens+of+africa%22+fez&pg=PA226 |title=A dictionary of geography, ancient and modern |publisher=T. Tegg |year=1834 |page=226 |language=en |access-date=2021-11-17}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
[[File:دلائل الخيرات مخطوطة مضيئة.jpg|thumb|A copy of Muhammad al-Jazuli's Sufi text ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'', a book of prayers first written in Fes in the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite book|last=أبو عبد الله محمد بن سليمان الجزولي (توفي 1465)|url=https://www.wdl.org/ar/item/4082/|title=دلائل الخيرات (دلایل الخیرات)|date=1885|access-date=2021-11-03|archive-date=2017-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513032733/https://www.wdl.org/ar/item/4082/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2021-10-14|title=خزانة جامعة القرويين ترقمن مخطوطات نفيسة بخط ابن رشد وابن خلدون|url=https://www.hespress.com/%D8%AE%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%86%D9%81-889220.html|access-date=2021-11-03|website=Hespress – هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية|language=ar|archive-date=2021-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103001048/https://www.hespress.com/%D8%AE%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%86%D9%81-889220.html|url-status=live}}</ref>|alt=Photograph of a book, Dala'il al-Khayrat, opened to a middle page.]]
Up until the 19th century, the al-Qarawiyyin dominated the intellectual life of the city and of the country around it. Literature was focused on religious scholarship, philosophy, and poetry.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|475–476}} The city's largest library was located at the Qarawiyyin Mosque, while others were attached to other major mosques. Under Sultan Abd al-Rahman ({{Reign|1822|1859}}) a new library was created inside the Royal Palace and later in the 19th century the city's wealthy elites began creating their own privates libraries.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|472–473}}

The city is also one of the historical centers of Moroccan Sufism and a significant body of written works were devoted to its many Sufi ''[[Religion:Wali|wali]]''s ("saints" or teachers). This type of literature established itself as one of the main literary genres of Morocco by the late 14th century and Sufi written works from Fez are especially abundant from the 17th to 20th centuries.<ref name="Sanseverino-2014">{{Cite book|last=Sanseverino|first=Ruggero Vimercati|url=http://books.openedition.org/cjb/498|title=Fès et sainteté, de la fondation à l'avènement du Protectorat (808–1912): Hagiographie, tradition spirituelle et héritage prophétique dans la ville de Mawlāy Idrīs|publisher=Centre Jacques-Berque|year=2014|isbn=979-10-92046-17-5|location=Rabat|access-date=2020-06-15|archive-date=2020-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817151441/https://books.openedition.org/cjb/498|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|54, 108}} A study by Ruggero Vimercati Sanseverino describes the rise of the ''Zawiya al-Fasiyya,'' a Sufi order founded in 1581 by Abu l-Mahasin Yusuf al-Fasi, as the impetus for the development of a tradition of Sufi literature particular to Fez.<ref name="Sanseverino-2014" />{{Rp|109, 297}} This literature was a diverse mix of hagiographies (religious [[History:Biography|biographies]]), [[Social:Genealogy|genealogies]], and [[History:Historiography|historiographies]] whose conventions evolved over time. Writers sought to establish a continuity between the teachings of contemporary Sufi masters and those that came before them, with the city of Fez portrayed as the center of this spiritual heritage.<ref name="Sanseverino-2014" />

Towards the beginning of the 20th century Moroccan literature began to diversify, with polemic or political works becoming more common at this time. For example, there were Muhammad Bin Abdul-Kabir Al-Kattani's anti-colonial periodical ''at-Tā'ūn'' (الطاعون The Plague), and his uncle Muhammad ibn Jaqfar al-Kattani's popular ''Nasihat ahl al-Islam'' ("Advice to the People of Islam"), published in Fez in 1908, both of which called on Moroccans to unite against European encroachment.<ref name="Miller, Susan Gilson.-2013" />{{Rp|68, 86}}
[[File:Sefer Abudarham from Library of Congress (1516 Fez).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Table of calculations from a copy of the ''Sefer Abudraham'' printed in Fez in 1516, the first book printed in Africa<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoh|first=Anchi|date=2019-08-16|title=Stargazing: Yiddish Theater and Hebrew Calendars Come Together in the Library of Congress {{!}} 4 Corners of the World: International Collections and Studies at the Library of Congress|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/08/stargazing-yiddish-theater-and-hebrew-calendars-come-together-in-the-library-of-congress/|access-date=2021-11-03|website=blogs.loc.gov|archive-date=2021-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323100902/https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/08/stargazing-yiddish-theater-and-hebrew-calendars-come-together-in-the-library-of-congress/|url-status=live}}</ref>|alt=refer to caption]]
Fez, along with Cordoba, was one of the centers of a Jewish intellectual and cultural renaissance that took place in the 10th and 11th centuries in Morocco and al-Andalus.<ref name="Gilson Miller-2001a" /><ref name="Chetrit-2014" /> Jewish literary figures associated with Fez include the poet Dunash Ben Labrat (d. circa 990), the grammarian Judah ben David Hayyuj (d. circa 1012), the Talmudist Isaac al-Fasi (d. 1103), and the scholar Joseph ben Judah ibn Aknin (d. circa 1220), who were all born in Fez or spent time there.<ref name="Chetrit-2014" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Sirat|first=Colette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XKkSDZNVXX4C&q=fez|title=A History of Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0-521-39727-8|page=207|language=en}}</ref> [[Biography:Maimonides|Maimonides]] (d. 1204), one of the most important Jewish intellectuals of his era, also lived in Fez from 1159 to 1165 after fleeing al-Andalus.<ref name="Gilson Miller-2001a" /> The first book printed on the African continent was printed in Fez. A copy of ''Sefer Abudarham'' ({{Lang|he|ספר אבודרהם}}) was printed in [[Social:Hebrew language|Hebrew]] in 1516 by Samuel ben Isaac Nedivot and his son, who were Jewish refugees from Lisbon.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-12-15|title=Samuel ben Isaac Nedivot & his Son Isaac Issue the First Book Printed on the Continent of Africa: History of Information|url=http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=349|access-date=2021-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215173049/http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=349|archive-date=2019-12-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2019-04-20|title=Hebraic Collections: The Books of the People of the Book |website=Library of Congress|url=http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/hs-books.html|access-date=2021-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420015452/http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/hs-books.html|archive-date=2019-04-20}}</ref> The press was short-lived and printed 15 copies, one of which is now preserved at the Library of Congress.<ref>{{Cite book|last=le Roux|first=Elizabeth|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yVKoDwAAQBAJ&dq=fes+morocco+printing+press&pg=PA350|title=Companion to the History of the Book|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|year=2019|isbn=978-1-119-01821-6|editor-last=Eliot|editor-first=Simon|page=350|chapter=Africa|editor-last2=Rose|editor-first2=Jonathan}}</ref><ref name="Deshen-1989">{{Cite book|last=Deshen|first=Shlomo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SjmzTiiaDRMC&dq=hebrew+printing+morocco+1920s&pg=PA9|title=The Mellah Society: Jewish Community Life in Sherifian Morocco|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0-226-14340-8|page=9|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Abdulrazak-1990">{{Citation |last=Abdulrazak |first=Fawzi |title=Printing as an Agent of Change in Morocco, 1864–1912 |date=2015 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137401625_3 |work=The Book in Africa |pages=44–64 |editor-last=Davis |editor-first=Caroline |place=London |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |language=en |doi=10.1057/9781137401625_3 |isbn=978-1-349-48644-1 |editor2-last=Johnson |editor2-first=David |access-date=2023-08-06 |archive-date=2023-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806080725/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137401625_3 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Rp|99}}

Printing in Arabic was introduced to Morocco in 1864–65, on the initiative of a man named {{Interlanguage link|Muhammad at-Tayyib ar-Rudani|ar|محمد ابن الطيب الروداني}}, an Islamic scholar and judge originally from the Sous region. In 1864 Ar-Rudani, while returning from his ''[[Religion:Hajj|Hajj]]'' pilgrimage, bought an Arabic printing press in Cairo and contracted an Egyptian operator, bringing both back with him to Morocco. The press appears to have been confiscated by the Moroccan authorities when it arrived at port and sent to Meknes, where Sultan Muhammad IV was residing at the time. The first book in Arabic was thus printed in Meknes in June 1865, before the press was moved again to Fez in that same year, where it continued to operate until the 1940s.<ref name="Abdulrazak-1990" />{{Rp|110–115}} The press was installed in a central neighbourhood of Fes el-Bali and was managed by the government, which printed traditional scholarly books and made some of the productions available to the Qarawiyyin University free of charge. After 1871 the government transferred management of the press to private citizens and the applications of printing widened.<ref name="Abdulrazak-1990" />{{Rp|119–128, 140}} After 1897 it became a regulated industry overseen by officials in Fez.<ref name="Abdulrazak-1990" />{{Rp|134–139}} By 1908 there were at least four printing establishments in Fez, while two other Moroccan printers were in [[Place:Tangier|Tangier]].<ref name="Abdulrazak-1990" />{{Rp|139}} Hebrew printing presses were reintroduced to Morocco in the 1890s in Tangier and were more firmly established across the country in the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nizri|first=Yigal S.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crXRDwAAQBAJ&dq=hebrew+printing+morocco+1920s&pg=PA167|title=Textual Transmission in Contemporary Jewish Cultures|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2020|isbn=978-0-19-751649-2|editor-last=Bar-Levav|editor-first=Avriel|page=167|language=en|chapter="Fit to Sacrifice on the Altar of Print": Approbation Letters and the Printing of 19th-Century Moroccan Halakhic Books|editor-last2=Rebhun|editor-first2=Uzi}}</ref><ref name="Deshen-1989" />[[File:Embarco moriscos en el Grao de valencia.jpg|thumb|A painting of the 17th century expulsion of the Moriscos from Valencia.|alt=refer to caption]]
=== Arts ===
[[File:لوحة بسملة للقندوسي.jpg|thumb|The Sufi calligrapher and scholar Muhammad Bin Al-Qāsim al-Qundūsi (d. 1861) developed his unique calligraphic style in Fes.<ref name="IslamKotob-2019">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iBRKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT7|title=الأعلام – ج 7 – محمد بن قاسم – نافع بن الحارثpublisher=IslamKotob|language=ar | author1=Islamkotob }}</ref>|alt=Arabic calligraphy in black ink on white paper]]
Maghrebi Arabic script is an important part of the history of visual art in Fes.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kane|first=Ousmane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yia7CwAAQBAJ&q=maghrebi+script+beyond+suqi&pg=PA57|title=Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa|year=2016|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-05082-2|language=en}}</ref> While some aspects of Maghrebi script are codified and prescribed, there have also been innovations, such as those by the 19th century calligrapher Muhammad al-Qandusi.<ref name="Rahim1996">{{cite book|author=Habibeh Rahim|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSzrAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Qandusi%22|title=Inscription as Art in the World of Islam: Unity in Diversity: at the Emily Lowe Gallery, April 14–May 24, 1996|publisher=Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University|year=1996|page=65}}</ref>

Fez remains the most important production center in Morocco for the art of ''zellij'' (traditional mosaic tilework) .<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Shafer |first=Ann |date=2019 |title=No man is an island: globalisation and resilience in the Fez zillīj tradition |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2018.1483877 |journal=The Journal of North African Studies |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=758–785 |doi=10.1080/13629387.2018.1483877 |s2cid=149949424 |access-date=2023-10-02 |archive-date=2022-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001024820/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2018.1483877 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Erzini |first=Nadia |title=Zillīǧ: L'Art de la Céramique Marocaine |publisher=Garnet Publishing Limited |year=1992 |isbn=1-873938-49-7 |page=174 |language=fr |chapter=L'École de Tétouan}}</ref> ''Zellij'' workshops in other cities, such as Meknes, Salé and Marrakesh, usually follow or emulate the craftsmanship style of Fez.<ref name=":5" />

The modernist artist [[Philosophy:Jilali Gharbaoui|Jilali Gharbaoui]] studied at the ''Académie des Arts'' in Fes.<ref name="Barjeel-2017">{{cite web|date=2017-08-24|title=Composition|url=https://www.barjeelartfoundation.org/collection/composition-jilali-gharbaoui/|access-date=2021-07-22|website=Barjeel Art Foundation|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722052729/https://www.barjeelartfoundation.org/collection/composition-jilali-gharbaoui/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Music ====
Fes is associated with the {{Interlanguage link|āla|lt=tarab al-āla|ar|موسيقى الآلة|italic=y}} ({{Lang|ar|طرب الآلة}} lit. "joy of the instrument") musical style, a result of a large migration of Muslims from [[Place:Valencia|Valencia]] to Fes.<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-10-08 |title=مالكة العاصمي: أنواع الأدب الشعبي بالمغرب – طرب الآلة – – وزارة الثقافة |url=https://www.minculture.gov.ma/?p=3602#.YWDJQUbP23I |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008224203/https://www.minculture.gov.ma/?p=3602#.YWDJQUbP23I |archive-date=2021-10-08 |access-date=2021-11-03}}</ref> The Fessi ''āla'' style utilizes the Moroccan forms of the Andalusi nubah melodical arrangements.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Dossier I, Musiques d'Algérie Dossier II, Algérie: histoire, société, cultures, arts |date=2002 |publisher=Presses Universitaires du Mirail |isbn=2-85816-657-9 |volume=47 |location=Toulouse |oclc=496273089}}</ref> While this musical style is sometimes popularly referred to as Andalusi music, those who have studied it reject this naming: Mohamed El Fassi intentionally chose the name ''āla'' ({{Lang|ar|آلة}} "instrument") to differentiate it from the Sufi tradition of [[Religion:Sama (Sufism)|''samā'']], which is purely vocal, while {{Interlanguage link|Idrīs Bin Jellūn at-Twīmī|fr|Haj Driss Touimi Benjelloun}}, in his study of Mohammed al-Haik's ''Kunash al-Haik'', described the appelation "Andalusi music" as an unprecedented colonial invention "meant to detract from [the musical form's] Arabness and [Moroccans'] intellectual and artistic abilities."<ref>{{cite web |title=طرب الآلة.. ذلك الفن الباذخ |url=https://www.maghress.com/almassae/161846 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409222724/https://www.maghress.com/almassae/161846 |archive-date=2022-04-09 |access-date=2021-11-03 |website=مغرس}}</ref>

=== Cultural venues and institutions ===
The city's main museums are housed in historic monuments mentioned above, including the Nejjarine Museum, the Dar Batha Museum, and the Arms Museum in Borj Nord.<ref name="Rough Guides-2019a" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Museums and Galleries – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/category/musees-et-galeries|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031731/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/category/musees-et-galeries|url-status=live}}</ref> The Al Houria Cultural Complex, opened in 2005, is a cultural center in the ''Ville Nouvelle'' that includes a theatre, a media library, and exhibition spaces.<ref>{{cite web|title=Le Matin – Le complexe Al Houria ouvre enfin ses portes|url=https://lematin.ma/journal/2005/Le-complexe-Al-Houria-ouvre-enfin-ses-portes/53143.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Le Matin|date=21 April 2005 |language=fr|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031736/https://lematin.ma/journal/2005/Le-complexe-Al-Houria-ouvre-enfin-ses-portes/53143.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cultural Complex al Houria – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3373|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023045456/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3373|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Complexe culturel de Fès Al Houria, concert, spetacle,humour,fès, maroc|url=http://www.babelfan.ma/tous-les-lieux/details/0/281/complexe-culturel-al-houria.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=www.babelfan.ma|language=fr-fr|archive-date=2020-10-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001223929/http://babelfan.ma/tous-les-lieux/details/0/281/complexe-culturel-al-houria.html}}</ref> Several language institutes in Fez also organize cultural activities in addition to offering courses. The French Institute and the Cervantes Institute have branches in Fez which promote French and Spanish, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=French Institute of Fez – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3380|access-date=2021-10-20|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031729/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3380|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cervantes Institute in Fez – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3376|access-date=2021-10-20|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024063805/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3376|url-status=live}}</ref> The American Language Center and the Arabic Language Institute in Fez, sister organizations that share the same location in the ''Ville Nouvelle'', offer courses in English and Arabic, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=American Language Center (ALC) and the Arabic Language Institute (ALIF) – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3370|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031729/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3370|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=General Information about the Arabic Language Institute in Fez|url=http://www.alif-fes.com/general-information.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Arabic Language Institute in Fez |language=en|archive-date=2021-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101190925/http://www.alif-fes.com/general-information.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hemidach|first=Amjad|title=ALC-ALIF in Fez: Learn Language, Understand Culture, Serve the Community|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/2/175883/alc-alif-in-fez-learn-language-understand-culture-serve-the-community|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Morocco World News|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101190933/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/2/175883/alc-alif-in-fez-learn-language-understand-culture-serve-the-community}}</ref>

=== Festivals ===
[[File:FESTIVAL FES 2102 ARCHIE SHEPP.JPG|thumb|Performance at the World Sacred Music Festival in 2012 (Bab Dekkakin in the background)|alt=Concert stage with a band performing and the gate of Bab Dekkakin in the background]]
Fez hosts the annual World Sacred Music Festival, which started in 1994 and showcases religious music from around the world. The festival occurs in May or June and concerts take place at multiple venues across the city, including at historic sites such as Bab Makina (the New Mechouar) in Fes Jdid.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spotlight on: Fes Festival of World Sacred Music|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/spotlight-on-fes-festival-of-world-sacred-music|access-date=2021-10-20|website=Lonely Planet|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031727/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/spotlight-on-fes-festival-of-world-sacred-music|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fès et son Festival – Festival de Fès des Musiques Sacrées du Monde |edition= 26ème|url=https://fesfestival.com/2020/fes-et-son-festival/|access-date=2021-10-20|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031729/https://fesfestival.com/2020/fes-et-son-festival/|url-status=live}}</ref> The annual Festival of Amazigh Culture, which started in 2005, normally takes place in July and hosts performances from Amazigh (Berber) musicians and artists from across Morocco.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ennaji|first=Moha|title=Fez Celebrates its 15th International Festival of Amazigh Culture|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/07/278597/fez-15th-international-festival-amazigh-culture|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Morocco World News|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031727/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/07/278597/fez-15th-international-festival-amazigh-culture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Festival Amazigh Fès|url=http://www.festivalamazighfes.com/edition-1|access-date=2021-10-21|website=www.festivalamazighfes.com|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031729/http://www.festivalamazighfes.com/edition-1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Festival of Amazigh Culture – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3349|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031736/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3349|url-status=live}}</ref> The annual Festival of Sufi Culture hosts a conference with discussions and debates on Sufism as well as Sufi musical performances and rituals such as ''[[Religion:Haḍra|haḍra]]''s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spotlight on: Festival of Sufi Culture in Fez, Morocco|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/spotlight-festival-sufi-culture-fez-morocco|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Lonely Planet|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031729/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/spotlight-festival-sufi-culture-fez-morocco|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fez Festival of Sufi Culture – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3343|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927074846/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3343|url-status=live}}</ref> The Festival of Malhoun Art features performances of ''malhun'' music and poetry from across the country.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff Writer|title=Fes to Host 15th Annual Festival of Malhoun Art July 21–29|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/07/223749/fes-host-15th-annual-festival-malhoun-art-july-21-29|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Morocco World News|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031728/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/07/223749/fes-host-15th-annual-festival-malhoun-art-july-21-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Music Festival el Malhoun – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3352|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203054409/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3352|url-status=live}}</ref>

Multiple [[Religion:Mawsim|moussems]] (Sufi religious festivals) have traditionally taken place every year in honour of local Muslim saints and are typically sponsored by one or more of the city's guilds. The most important moussem in the city, and one of the most important in Morocco, is the Moussem of Moulay Idris II. This festival has taken place for hundreds of years{{efn|The veneration of Idris II as a patron saint began in the 15th century and so the moussem developed some time after this.<ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|301–302, 599}}}} and is sponsored by all the guilds in the city, who march through the city together in a procession that culminates at the mausoleum of Idris II. Each guild donates gifts to the zawiya, one of which is a ''keswa'', a large textile decorated with Qur'anic verses that is draped over Idris II's catafalque. The week of the moussem is also marked by other cultural events and entertainment.<ref name="Rough Guides-2019b">{{Cite book|title=The Rough Guide to Morocco|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2019|edition=12th|pages=43–44, 186}}</ref><ref name="Gaudio-1982" />{{Rp|86, 130}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Moussem of Moulay Idriss – Regional Council of Tourism Fez|url=http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3367|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021163435/http://visitefes.com/en/archives/3367|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2019-09-26|title=Fès: Ouverture du Moussem annuel de Moulay Idriss Al Azhar|url=https://leseco.ma/maroc/fes-ouverture-du-moussem-annuel-de-moulay-idriss-al-azhar.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=LesEco.ma|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021031738/https://leseco.ma/maroc/fes-ouverture-du-moussem-annuel-de-moulay-idriss-al-azhar.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Le Tourneau-1949" />{{Rp|301–302}}

The Fez Running Festival is race that has taken place annually since 2022 with two competitions, one for kids and one for adults. It is organized by Abderrahime Bouramdane, a professional [[Engineering:Marathon|marathon]] runner who was born and raised in Fez. The festival sees thousands of participants every year who run a course that goes throughout the city.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Echabouch |first=Elmahdi |date=2022-03-20 |title=Fez To Host Its First-Ever Long-Distance Running Festival |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/03/347793/fez-to-host-its-first-ever-long-distance-running-festival |website=Morocco World News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Qui Somme Nous |url=https://marathonspiritueldefes.com/our-mission/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Fes Running Festival |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

=== Sport ===
Fez has two football teams, MAS Fez (Fés Maghrebi)<ref>{{cite web |title=Site officiel du MAS |url=http://masfoot.ma/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915150925/http://masfoot.ma/ |archive-date=15 September 2017 |access-date=26 April 2020 |website=MAS}}</ref> and Wydad de Fès (WAF).<ref>{{cite web |title=Wydad Athletic Club de Fès |url=https://us.soccerway.com/teams/morocco/waf-widad-fes/12525/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101190912/https://us.soccerway.com/teams/morocco/waf-widad-fes/12525/ |archive-date=2021-11-01 |access-date=2021-09-15 |website=SoccerWay}}</ref> They both play in the Botola the highest tier of the Moroccan football system and play their home matches at the 45,000 seat Complexe Sportif de Fès stadium.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stadiums: Complexe sportif de Fès |url=https://www.goalzz.com/?stadium=437 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915085310/https://www.goalzz.com/?stadium=437 |archive-date=2021-09-15 |access-date=2021-09-15 |website=Goalzz}}</ref> 

Fez is one of the cities expected to host matches during the 2030 FIFA World Cup and there are plans to upgrade its sports stadium before this date.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 October 2023 |title=Morocco to build new stadium, upgrade six others before 2030 World Cup |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/morocco-build-new-stadium-upgrade-six-others-before-2030-world-cup-2023-10-20/#:~:text=Earlier%20this%20month%2C%20FIFA%20allocated,after%20South%20Africa%20in%202010. |access-date=1 December 2023 |website=Reuters}}</ref> It is also expected to host matches during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 September 2023 |title=Morocco and East African co-bid to host future Africa Cup of Nations finals |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/morocco-host-2025-africa-cup-nations-finals-2023-09-27/ |access-date=1 December 2023 |website=Reuters}}</ref>

The MAS Fez basketball team competes in the Nationale 1, Morocco's top basketball division.<ref>{{cite web |title=MAR – Hope in Morocco basketball |url=http://www.fiba.basketball/news/MAR-Hope-in-Morocco-basketball |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915085311/http://www.fiba.basketball/news/MAR-Hope-in-Morocco-basketball |archive-date=2021-09-15 |access-date=2021-09-15 |website=FIBA.basketball |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Moroccan Basketball, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards – afrobasket |url=https://www.afrobasket.com/Morocco/basketball.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526110236/https://www.afrobasket.com/Morocco/basketball.aspx |archive-date=2021-05-26 |access-date=2021-09-15 |website=www.afrobasket.com}}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==

=== Parks ===
The availability of [[Engineering:Urban green space|green spaces]] in Fez is limited and significantly deviates from the international standard, which calls for a minimum of ten square meters of green space per resident. As of 2022, the city provides only two square meters of green space per resident.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2014-04-24 |title=Le projet du Jardin botanique de Fès n’a toujours pas vu le jour |trans-title="The Fez Botanical Garden project has still not been created" |url=https://lematin.ma/journal/2014/fes_-le-projet-du-jardin-botanique-de-fes-n-a-toujours-pas-vu-le-jour-/201052.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Le Matin |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-02-07 |title=Fès : la ville manque d’espaces verts |trans-title=Fez: the city lacks green spaces |url=https://leseco.ma/maroc/fes-la-ville-manque-despaces-verts.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=LesEco.ma |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

Latin American Park is a park opened in the summer of 2015 that sits in the middle of Fez. It is around 3,700 square metres in area and employs about 40 workers. The park is dedicated to the relations of Fez and Latin America; its inauguration ceremony was attended by a delegation of ambassadors from Venezuela, Paraguay, and Panama. Latin American Park includes a number of facilities, such as a pool, a children's pavilion, cafes, and several trails.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Zaghari |first=Muhammad |date=2015-08-08 |title=الجماعة الحضرية تفتح حديقة أمريكا اللاتينية في وجه الزوار بمدينة فاس |trans-title=The Urban Community opens the Latin American Garden to visitors in Fez |url=http://www.alobor.com/news/read/14683/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209152114/http://www.alobor.com/news/read/14683/ |archive-date=2017-12-09 |website=Al-Obour Media |language=ar}}</ref>

The Bird Park or Tropicana Park is another green area in Fez. Over seven acres in size, it features playgrounds, community event spaces, restaurants, and rest areas. The park was opened in June 2014 and is credited with significantly improving the recreational infrastructure of Fez. Inside the park is a "Bird Garden" which hosts more than thirty species of birds, local and imported, such as [[Biology:Peafowl|peacocks]], [[Biology:Parrot|parrots]], and the [[Biology:North African ostrich|North African ostrich]]. There are also ponds with [[Biology:Goose|geese]] and [[Biology:Duck|ducks]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Kuirti |first=Rachid |date=2016-08-06 |title=حديقة الطيور بفاس .. منتزه يوفر الراحة لزوار العاصمة العلمية |trans-title=Bird Park in Fez...a park that provides comfort for visitors to the scientific capital |url=https://www.hespress.com/%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%87-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%81%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D9%84-306197.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Hespress |language=ar}}</ref>

=== Transport ===
The city is served by the region's main international airport, Fès–Saïs, located roughly 15&nbsp;km south of the city center.<ref name="Rough Guides-2019a" /> A new terminal was added to the airport in 2017 which expanded the airport's capacity to 2.5 million visitors a year.<ref>{{cite web |date=2019-03-13 |title=Tourism in Fez-Meknes grows on the strength of religious and wellness visitors |url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/intangible-advantages-tourism-grows-strength-religious-and-wellness-visitors |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001175024/https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/intangible-advantages-tourism-grows-strength-religious-and-wellness-visitors |archive-date=2020-10-01 |access-date=2020-09-21 |website=Oxford Business Group |language=en}}</ref>

The city's main train station, operated by ONCF, is located a short distance from the downtown area of the {{lang|fr|Ville Nouvelle}} and is connected to the rail lines running east to [[Place:Oujda|Oujda]] and west to [[Place:Tangier|Tangier]] and [[Place:Casablanca|Casablanca]].<ref>{{cite web |title=::.. Oncf ..:: |url=http://www.oncf.ma/Fr/index.aspx?md=199&rb=396 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228041222/http://www.oncf.ma/Fr/index.aspx?md=199&rb=396 |archive-date=2009-02-28 |access-date=2009-05-05 |publisher=Oncf.ma}}</ref><ref name="Rough Guides-2019a" /> The main intercity bus terminal (or {{lang|fr|gare routière}}) is located just north of Bab Mahrouk, on the outskirts of the old medina, although CTM also operates a terminal off Boulevard Mohammed V in the ''Ville Nouvelle''. [[Engineering:Share taxi|Intercity taxis]] (also known as {{lang|fr|grands taxis}}) depart from and arrive at several spots including the Bab Mahrouk bus station (for western destinations like Meknes and [[Place:Rabat|Rabat]]), Bab Ftouh (for eastern destinations like Sidi Harazem and [[Place:Taza|Taza]]), and another lot in the ''Ville Nouvelle'' (for southern destinations like Sefrou).<ref name="Rough Guides-2019a" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Transportation in Fez, Morocco |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/the-mediterranean-coast-and-the-rif/fes/transportation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214121851/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/the-mediterranean-coast-and-the-rif/fes/transportation |archive-date=2020-12-14 |access-date=2020-09-21 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}</ref>

The city operates a [[Engineering:Public transport|public transit]] system with various bus routes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bus in Fez, Morocco |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/the-mediterranean-coast-and-the-rif/fes/narratives/practical-information/transport/getting-around/bus |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903085819/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/the-mediterranean-coast-and-the-rif/fes/narratives/practical-information/transport/getting-around/bus |archive-date=2021-09-03 |access-date=2020-09-21 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}</ref>

=== Utilities ===
The city's water supply, sewage, and electricity neworks are managed by the ''Régie de distribution d'eau et d'électricité de Fès'' ({{Translation|Water and Electricity Distribution Authority of Fez}}). An [[Chemistry:Activated sludge|activated sludge]] treatment plant has been treating Fez's wastewater since 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Misane |first=Laila |title=The city of Fez: Technical and Institutional strengthening for a sustainable management of water resources |url=https://iwa-network.org/fez-morocco/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511042332/https://iwa-network.org/fez-morocco/ |archive-date=2023-05-11 |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=International Water Association |language=en}}</ref>

== Education ==
[[File:Al-Qarawiyyin University, Fes, Morocco - Var 132.jpg|thumb|University of al-Qarawiyyin|alt=Facade of University of al-Qarawiyyin]]Primary and secondary education in Fez is administered by Morocco's Ministry of National Education. It includes a preschool level, six years of primary school, followed by three years of middle school and three years of secondary school. Primary education, beginning at age six, is both free and obligatory. [[Social:Vocational education|Vocational eduaction]] is also offered.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Benoliel |first=Sharon |date=June 2003 |title=Strengthening Education in the Muslim World: Country Profiles and Analysis |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/berkley-center/040401USAIDStrengtheningEducationMuslimWorld.pdf |journal=United States Agency for International Development}}</ref>

The [[Organization:University of al-Qarawiyyin|University of al-Qarawiyyin]] is considered by some to be the oldest continually-operating university in the world.<ref>Guinness World Records, [http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/oldest-university Oldest University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007183911/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/oldest-university |date=2014-10-07 }}</ref><ref name="UNESCO-2021" /> The university was first founded as a mosque by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 which subsequently became one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the historic [[Religion:Muslim world|Muslim world]].<ref name="Lulat 2005, 154–1572" /> It became a state university in 1963, and remains an important institution of learning today.<ref>Larbi Arbaoui, [http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2012/10/59056/al-karaouin-of-fez-the-oldest-university-in-the-world/ Al Karaouin of Fez: The Oldest University in the World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917101919/http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2012/10/59056/al-karaouin-of-fez-the-oldest-university-in-the-world/ |date=2013-09-17 }}, Morocco World News, 2 October 2012.</ref>

[[Organization:Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University|Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University]] is a public university founded in 1975 and is the largest in the city by attendance, counting over 86,000 students in 2020.<ref name="Times HE-2020">{{cite web|date=2020-09-18|title=Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/sidi-mohamed-ben-abdellah-university|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Times Higher Education (THE)|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017180918/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/sidi-mohamed-ben-abdellah-university|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USMBA-2020">{{cite web|title=Présentation institutionnelle|url=http://www.usmba.ac.ma/~usmba2/presentation-institutionnelle/|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Portail USMBA|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2020-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922132843/http://www.usmba.ac.ma/~usmba2/presentation-institutionnelle/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=l'USMBA en chiffres|url=http://www.usmba.ac.ma/~usmba2/lusmba-en-chiffres/|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Portail USMBA|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2020-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922133457/http://www.usmba.ac.ma/~usmba2/lusmba-en-chiffres/|url-status=live}}</ref> It has 12 faculties with sites across the city, with two main campuses known as Dhar El Mehraz and Sais.<ref name="USMBA-2020" /> Another public university, the Euromed University of Fez, was created in 2012 and is certified by the Union for the Mediterranean.<ref>{{cite web|title=UEMF – Tout sur Université Euromed de Fès|url=https://www.etudiant.ma/groupes/uemf|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Etudiant.ma|language=en|archive-date=2021-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116151434/https://www.etudiant.ma/groupes/uemf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=L'UEMF {{!}} UEMF|url=https://www.ueuromed.org/en/l-uemf|access-date=2020-09-21|website=www.ueuromed.org|archive-date=2020-08-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821030510/https://ueuromed.org/en/l-uemf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city's first private university, the Private University of Fez, was created in 2013 out of the {{lang|fr|École polytechnique de Technologie}} founded 5 years earlier.<ref>{{cite web|date=2013-12-26|title=Daoudi autorise une première université privée à Fès|url=https://www.leconomiste.com/article/914487-daoudi-autorise-une-premi-re-universit-priv-e-f-s|access-date=2020-09-21|website=L'Economiste|language=fr|archive-date=2018-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005030802/https://www.leconomiste.com/article/914487-daoudi-autorise-une-premi-re-universit-priv-e-f-s|url-status=live}}</ref> Its main focus is its engineering school,<ref>{{cite web|date=2006-07-20|title=Fès se dote d'une école d'ingénieurs|url=https://www.leconomiste.com/article/fes-se-dote-d-une-ecole-d-ingenieurs|access-date=2020-09-21|website=L'Economiste|language=fr|archive-date=2018-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005071953/https://www.leconomiste.com/article/fes-se-dote-d-une-ecole-d-ingenieurs|url-status=live}}</ref> though it also offers diplomas in architecture, business, and law.<ref>{{cite web|title=Université Privée de Fès – 1ère Université Privée à Fès Reconnue par l'Etat.|url=http://upf.ac.ma/|access-date=2020-09-21|language=fr-FR|archive-date=2019-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316083108/http://upf.ac.ma/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==International relations==
Fez is twinned with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Twin Towns|url=https://www.fescity.com/en/twin-towns/|website=fescity.com|date=8 January 2019|publisher=Fes City|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2020-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116180423/https://www.fescity.com/en/twin-towns/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|BFA}} Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso (1982)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} Chengdu, China (2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Profile of Sister Cities|url=https://www.gochengdu.cn/news/our-sister-cities/sister-cities-of-chengdu-c246p1.html|website=gochengdu.cn|publisher=Go Chengdu|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2020-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205084454/https://www.gochengdu.cn/news/our-sister-cities/sister-cities-of-chengdu-c246p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|POR}} [[Place:Coimbra|Coimbra]], Portugal<ref>{{cite web|title=Cidades Geminadas|url=https://www.cm-coimbra.pt/areas/viver/a-cidade/cidades-geminadas-2|website=cm-coimbra.pt|publisher=Coimbra|language=pt|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2020-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024174836/https://www.cm-coimbra.pt/areas/viver/a-cidade/cidades-geminadas-2|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|ESP}} Córdoba, Spain (1990)<ref>{{cite web|title=Las 12 hermanas de Córdoba|url=https://www.diariocordoba.com/noticias/cordobalocal/12-ciudades-hermanadas-cordoba_1353134.html|website=diariocordoba.com|publisher=Diario Córdoba|language=es|date=2020-02-10|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2020-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021164614/https://www.diariocordoba.com/noticias/cordobalocal/12-ciudades-hermanadas-cordoba_1353134.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|PSE}} East Jerusalem, Palestine (1982)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Place:Florence|Florence]], Italy (1961)
* {{flagicon|PSE}} [[Place:Jericho|Jericho]], Palestine (2014)<ref>{{cite web|title=العلاقات التي تربط مدينة أريحا بالمدن الأجنبية|url=https://www.jericho-city.ps/ar_page.php?id=ct5MDP5Csna2396520AuRpyFejJ38|website=jericho-city.ps|publisher=Jericho|language=ar|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2020-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206141356/http://www.jericho-city.ps/ar_page.php?id=ct5MDP5Csna2396520AuRpyFejJ38|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|TUN}} Kairouan, Tunisia (1965)
* {{flagicon|POL}} Kraków, Poland (1985)
* {{flagicon|FRA}} Montpellier, France (2003)
* {{flagicon|SEN}} [[Place:Saint-Louis, Senegal|Saint-Louis]], Senegal (1979)
<!--Strasbourg - not twinning-->
* {{flagicon|KOR}} Suwon, South Korea (2003)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} Wuxi, China (2011)<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister Cities|url=http://www.wuxinews.com.cn/sistercities_2.html|website=wuxinews.com.cn|publisher=Wuxi News|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2021-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128005907/http://www.wuxinews.com.cn/sistercities_2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|CHN}} Xi'an, China (2019)<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister cities|url=http://en.xa.gov.cn/thisisxian/sistercities/965.htm|website=xa.gov.cn|publisher=Xi'an|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=2019-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527004857/http://en.xa.gov.cn/thisisxian/sistercities/965.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

== Notable people ==
<!-- Please use alphabetical order and ensure that additions to this list include citations to reliable sources. -->
* Abd al-Hafid of Morocco – Sultan of Morocco from 1909 to 1912, born in Fez<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2010|title=Abd al-Hafid|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|location=Chicago|url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/14|edition=15th|volume=I: A–Ak – Bayes|page=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/14 14]|isbn=978-1-59339-837-8|url-access=registration}}</ref>
* Abdelilah Bagui – Former international goalkeeper who was born in Fez<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strack-Zimmermann |first=Benjamin |title=Abdelilah Bagui (Player) |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4499/Abdelilah_Bagui.html |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=National Football Teams |language=en |archive-date=2022-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109210615/https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4499/Abdelilah_Bagui.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Abdellatif Laabi – Poet born in 1942 in Fez<ref>Abdellatif Laâbi, Victor W. Reinking, Anne O. George, ''The world's embrace: selected poems'', Foreword by Ammiel Accalay, pp. x–xi </ref>
* Abderrahime Bouramdane – Professional marathoner from Fez<ref name=":3" />
* Abdessalam Benjelloun – Former international footballer born in Fez<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abdessalam Benjelloun – Player Profile – Football |url=https://www.eurosport.com/football/abdessalam-benjelloun_prs183187/person.shtml |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Eurosport |language=en |archive-date=2023-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806081306/https://www.eurosport.com/geoblocking.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Adel Taarabt – Moroccan association football player from Fez<ref>{{cite web|title=Adel Taarabt |url=http://www.lfp.fr/joueur/index.asp?no_joueur=107690 |publisher=Ligue de Football Professionnel |access-date=30 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202024627/http://www.lfp.fr/joueur/index.asp?no_joueur=107690 |archive-date=2 February 2009 }}</ref>
* Ahmad Zarruq – Prominent Islamic scholar<ref>{{Cite book|last=El-Rouayheb|first=Khaled|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bDjjCQAAQBAJ&q=ibn+arafa+ash%27ari&pg=PA180|title=Islamic Intellectual History in the Seventeenth Century|year=2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-04296-4|page=248|language=en}}</ref>
* Akram Roumani – Former international footballer born in Fez<ref>{{cite web |title=Akram Roumani Biography and Statistics |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/akram-roumani-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418030435/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/akram-roumani-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-18 |publisher=Sports-Reference.com |access-date=2010-02-16}}</ref>
* Ali ibn Qasim al-Zaqqaq – Author in the field of Maliki common law<ref>"Al-Lamiya de az-Zaqqaq, al-'Amal al-Fasi de 'Abd ar-Rahman al-Fasi, y al-'Amal al-Mutlaq de as-Siyilmasi" by Henry Toledano, ''International Journal of Middle East Studies'', vol. 5, 1974.</ref>
* Anas Zniti – Professional footballer born in Fez<ref>{{cite web|title=Anas Zniti, MAS goalkeeper|url=http://www.affairemaroc.com/article-%5BInterview%5D-Anas-Zniti-,-Gardien-de-buts-du-MAS-1256.html|publisher=Affaire Maroc|language=French|access-date=2021-09-15|archive-date=2012-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429110452/http://www.affairemaroc.com/article-&#91;Interview&#93;-Anas-Zniti-,-Gardien-de-buts-du-MAS-1256.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Dunash ben Labrat – Commentator and poet born in Fez<ref>José Martínez Delgado, 'Dunash ben Labraṭ ha-Levi', in ''Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World'', ed. by Norman A. Stillman and others (Leiden: Brill, 2010), s.v.</ref>
* Hamid Chabat – Moroccan politician and former mayor of Fez<ref name="autobio">{{cite web|title=السيرة الذاتية للسيد حميد شباط|url=http://www.chabatonline.net/2011-09-12-15-07-11.html|publisher=Chabatonline.net|access-date=16 October 2012|archive-date=2018-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072426/http://www.chabatonline.net/2011-09-12-15-07-11.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Isaac Uziel – Physician, poet, and grammarian, born in Fez<ref>{{Cite web |date=1901–1906 |editor-last=Singer |editor-first=Isidore |title=Uziel |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14620-uziel |website=The Jewish Encyclopedia |publisher=Funk & Wagnalls |publication-place=New York |archive-date=2023-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905133411/https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14620-uziel |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Philosophy:Jilali Gharbaoui|Jilali Gharbaoui]] – Modernist artist, studied at the ''Académie des Arts'' in Fes<ref name="Barjeel-2017" />
* Karim Bennani – Moroccan painter born in Fez<ref>{{cite web |title=Bennani, Karim |url=https://www.oxfordartonline.com/benezit/display/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.001.0001/acref-9780199773787-e-00016432 |work=Benezit Dictionary of Artists}}</ref>
* Mehdi Bennani – Moroccan professional racing driver, born in Fez<ref>{{Cite news|date=2014-10-12|title=Bennani Claims First WTCC Victory in Second Shanghai Race – WTCC – The Checkered Flag|language=en-GB|work=The Checkered Flag|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2014/10/bennani-claims-first-wtcc-victory-second-shanghai-race/|access-date=2017-12-16|archive-date=2017-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216201542/https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2014/10/bennani-claims-first-wtcc-victory-second-shanghai-race/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Mohamed Chafik – Leading figure in the Amazigh (also known as [[Social:Berberism|Berber]]) cultural movement, born in Fez<ref name="Maddy-Weitzman-2011">{{cite book |last1=Maddy-Weitzman |first1=Bruce |title=The Berber Identity Movement and the Challenge to North African States |date=2011 |publisher=University of Texas Press, Austin}}</ref>
* Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco – Princess consort of Morocco, born in Fez<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 May 2015 |title=Morocco's Royal Family Celebrates Birthday of Princess Lalla Salma |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/05/158114/moroccos-royal-family-celebrates-birthday-of-princess-lalla-salma |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Morocco World News |language=en |archive-date=2022-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605113302/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/05/158114/moroccos-royal-family-celebrates-birthday-of-princess-lalla-salma |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Roberto López Ufarte – Professional footballer from Fez<ref name="VAVEL">{{cite web|last=Vázquez de Balmaseda|first=Ignacio|date=5 May 2016|title=Leyendas de la Real: López Ufarte|trans-title=Real legends: López Ufarte|url=https://www.vavel.com/es/futbol/real-sociedad/642933-leyendas-de-la-real-lopez-ufarte.html|publisher=Vavel|language=es|access-date=28 December 2016|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229032214/https://www.vavel.com/es/futbol/real-sociedad/642933-leyendas-de-la-real-lopez-ufarte.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Samuel Pallache – Merchant, diplomat, and pirate, born in Fez<ref>{{cite book |title=A Man of Three Worlds |isbn=978-0-8018-7225-9 |last1=García-Arenal |first1=Mercedes |last2=Wiegers |first2=Gerard |year=2003 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press}}</ref>
* Soufiane El Bakkali – Steeplechase runner, born in Fez<ref>[http://84.33.2.63/marrakech2014/pdf/LivreResultats.pdf 2014 African Championships in Athletics Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234418/http://84.33.2.63/marrakech2014/pdf/LivreResultats.pdf|date=3 March 2016}}. Marrakech2014. Retrieved on 19 August 2016.</ref>
* Youssef En-Nesyri – International footballer born in Fez<ref>{{Cite news |last=Okeleji |first=Oluwashina |date=10 February 2019 |title=Morocco's En-Nesyri makes La Liga history |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47186497 |access-date=2022-06-05 |archive-date=2022-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605193500/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47186497 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Yves Lacoste – French geographer and geopolitician, born in Fez<ref name="Criekemans2007">{{cite book|author=David Criekemans|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_YQpr0txrzwC&pg=PA544|title=Geopolitiek: "geografisch geweten" van de buitenlandse politiek?|year= 2007|publisher=Garant|isbn=978-90-441-1969-5|pages=544–546|access-date=12 January 2011}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Roger |last=Le Tourneau |translator=Besse Clement |title=Fez in the Age of the Marinides |publisher=Oklahoma University |orig-date=1961 |date=1974 |isbn=0-8061-1198-4 }}
* {{cite book |first=Julian |last=Vigo |date=2006 |chapter=The Renovation of Fes' ''medina qdima'' and the (re)-Creation of the Traditional |title=Writing the City, Transforming the City |location=New Delhi |publisher=Katha |pages=44–58 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Fez}}
* [https://www.archnet.org/authorities/3657 ArchNet – "Fès"] (Contains catalogue of monuments, pictures, and explanatory text)



[[Category:Prefecturial capitals in Morocco]]
[[Category:Regional capitals in Morocco]]

{{Sourceattribution|Fez, Morocco}}