Medina of Fez

Wow, I can't believe this site hasn't had a new review in nearly seven years! However, it's not as if this 1,000+ year old medina has changed much in such a relatively short amount of time. The existing reviews sum up the medina well so in relating my February 2025 experience I won't repeat what has already been said. Do know, however, that the residents of the medina choose to take a day of rest on Fridays, so the streets are significantly less busy that day of the week, and many of the shops are closed.

If you've been to traditional Arab souks before (like the Grand Bazaar in Türkiye, or the souks of Israel or Oman) then you have an idea of what to expect here. Tons of small shops crammed together on narrow streets (often selling similar items) with lots of people and tons of opportunities to haggle. I adore markets like this (I've visited a decent amount) but the Fez medina brings it to a new level by increasing the scale to massive proportions–as others have said, this place is an absolute labyrinth that you can spend hours wandering around in. It's incredibly fun!

If you enjoy:

• The thrill of bustling, very narrow streets
• The energy of tons of people around all the time
• Spending time visiting many shops to haggle effectively

then you will love the Fez Medina. (I, for one, do love all of those …

I visited this WHS in April 2018. Although I left this medina as Morocco's last WHS to visit, it really didn't disappoint. It is truly a top WHS on par with Marrakech even though quite different. I felt Fes is more of an all-rounder, in the sense that it has a number of superb buildings and monuments but what is truly of OUV is that it still is very much alive as a medina.

Fes is the world's largest car-free urban space and it's a maze of alleys, dead ends, archways, medersas, mosques and palaces. It is also believed to have one the oldest universities in the world, the University of Al-Karaouine. The only down side (but in a way it could perhaps be a positive thing is it helps to avoid turning the places into a mere museum) is that most religious places are only accessible to Muslims.

This doesn't mean that you'll be missing out on all of Fes' highlights and you can still have a peek through the doorways of the restricted buildings. Out of the several medersas, three really stand out for the outstanding architecture and art, namely the Al Attarine Medersa, the Sahrij Medersa and the Al Bouanania Medersa (photo). Apparently, the Sahrij Medersa will no longer be open to non-Muslim visitors as it will be used to teach Islamic calligraphy as of May this year. The Al Attarine and the Al Bouanania Medresas are truly works of art even though I would choose the …

Wow, what can I say about Fez? This has got to be one of the most vibrant and hectic World Heritage Sites there is. It is crazy, it is smelly, it is noisy, it is confusing. And I loved it!

There are some particular historic sites which are worth seeing but, really, you can just wander around for days and soak up the atmosphere. It's really easy to get lost and so I would recommend working out a few landmarks that you know you can navigate back to your accommodation from - that way, if you get lost, you can at least ask someone to point you towards one of those sites.

It's hard to put into words how much I enjoyed just seeing life here in Fez.

I was in Fez in 1976 with a tour that started

in Malaga, and the guide spoke 7 languages for those representing at least that many countries. Fez, to me was a most memorial place. I was 37 at that time and loved every second of being there. I would never have gone without a guide or my mothers push (we did about 5 countries) my first time abroad. As we stood outside the old city, and were being given explanations and safety cautions (keep your eyes on the person in front of you, last week I found a lady that had got left there last year), etc. We were followed by little children who kept us with the group. We watched children in the streets making thread, unbaked bread carried to the ovens by very small girls, and the baked bread being carried back by equally small boys. The leather places were difficult from a smell standpoint, though we had all been furnished with sprigs of mint. I was astounded at the various lessons from the medina. The various trades going on were amazing, and some exquisite items were there for purchase so very cheap. Mother bought some of the hand made long dresses with ornate design and kept and used them for years. We were in the narrow walls for over 4 hours, and did not eat but some hand food from there of breads. I was fascinated. My biggest fear there might have been getting lost and …

Mine is a very specific review of my experience with Fez Medina. This is because I an asthmatic and suffer greatly from cat allergies. The confined lanes of the Medina along with pollution from people, animals of all sorts gave me a severe asthma attack. If you suffer from the same affliction, you will be better off staying outside the old city and exploring the maze of streets on your own. I made the mistake of staying in a Ryad (a wonderfully refurbished hotel) for two night. It is incredibly claustrophobic and can create health problems for you.

Perhaps the finest place in the world to get a feel for medieval life, Fez is a rather special place to experience; however our particular visit was marred by behaviour that was more in line with in the Middle Ages.

The medina is still a dirty, smelly twisting maze of alleys too narrow for motorised traffic, I don't mean this as a criticism, it is the kind of "authentic" atmosphere that people seek out and this experience is perhaps Fez's best quality. Whilst Fez does have some impressive buildings, it is the seemingly endless confusion of lanes filled with various shops, workshops, mosques and houses that leaves the biggest impression.

As with all the medinas I have visited it was exceptionally fun bartering for goods in the souqs or ducking down a gloomy side street to find a courtyard specialising in some hitherto unknown treat. Fondouk Kaat Smen was my favourite, past the stalls specialising in rancid butter was a wonderful little place where we tried a huge array of honeys, each with a distinct flavour imparted by the nectar on which the bees had feasted. Like most visitors, the vast tanneries left a strong impression with the sight of goods being made next to where they are sold being one of the greatest joys. Also, the stench was nowhere near as bad as I feared, but perhaps that was the bonus of being there early in the morning.

There are coloured signs set up around the medina which show …

The medina of Fez is notoriously difficult to navigate. I got stranded in a residential area at my first approach, but then developed a trick: I shadowed a small group of French with an official guide. When they stopped to hear him talk, I suddenly became very busy taking photos on the spot so that I didn't have to overtake them. They finally led me to the Bab Boujloud gate, from where I dared to go on alone (guided by the coloured signs of the designated walking routes).

It is tempting to compare this medina to the one in Marrakech. The differences are clear though: the walls of Fez are yellow instead of pinkish, the streets are even narrower in Fez and there are fewer tourists. On the other side: Fez lacks the individual great monuments that Marrakech has, though the Bou Inania Madrasa is well worth the few dirhams entrance fee. Its splendour is hidden behind a wooden door in the middle of the souks.

My route crossed the medina from west to northeast. That way, I ended up at the leather souk with its famous tanneries. The bowls of dye, with workers up to their knees in them, are the trademark of the Fez medina. To watch them, one has to go inside one of the leather shops that have terraces. I followed another group of French inside and could get in and leave without being hassled into buying something.

The tanneries are the most …

Fez retains much of it's medieval way of life. I first visited Fez in 1985 and again in 2007. Fez 1985 was somewhat intimidating as the souk was a huge labyrinth and uncharted. Fez 2007 is much more user friendly as there are discreet colour coded directions so that visitors can have a chance of finding what they were looking for! The Medina remains fascinating and Moroccans seem to take great pride in maintaining their traditions down to every detail.

Of the monuments , in old Fez , not to be missed would be the great medieval universities which anyone can enter. The fortunate if you can find it , 'Sarija' madrassa , named after it's mystical reflecting pool , was a gem. The Moroccan people and cuisine contributes greatly to it's charm.

It is with a degree of shock that I calculate it to be almost 40 years since I visited Fez (August 1966). Even now I can remember the “magic” of the labyrinthine Medina of Fes-el-Bali (the old walled city) – by then I already had souks etc in Istanbul, Damascus and Jerusalem “under my belt”, but Fez did not pale by comparison so it wasn’t just the “shock of the new”. No doubt it will have become a great deal more touristy and “sanitised” since those days but movies and photos I see indicate that the Souk is as much of a motorised traffic-free “maze” as ever and has retained its wonderful “working” atmosphere. A particular joy were the specialised areas for e.g. Dyeing (see photo), Pottery, Tanning, Metalwork, Carpet and Tile making etc etc. Back in 1966, tourism did not really seem to be the raison d'etre for their existance. They were noisy, smelly and, yes even dirty, places making things primarily for locals. I wonder if the area given over to turning old car tyres into sandals etc still operates, or perhaps such transformations only have economic justification in the markets of sub-Saharan Africa now (It was a trade still practiced in Omdurman when I was there earlier this year - 2006)! Morocco may not have achieved European levels of GDP but thankfully has made good strides economically so perhaps some of the recycling trades have been despatched to history and no doubt the shops have their full …