Visit Fez, Morocco

Periodically capital of Morocco, the city of Fez has always occupied a place at the spiritual and political heart of the country. Founded in the ninth century, many of the early settlers were Islamic refugees, fleeing neighboring Spain and Tunisia.

Those from Tunisia founded the Kairaouiyne Mosque at the heart of their quarter, which became one of the leading universities in the Islamic world, its theories were far in advance of those understood at the time in Europe.

Local architecture

Many of the medressahs, built to house its students, still stand today and display exquisite craftsmanship. The medina and souqs are probably the best in Morocco, truly labyrinthine, assaulting the senses with new sounds, exotic scents and an intense experience unlikely to be rivaled elsewhere.

Many compare Fez to Marrakesh before the tourists arrived: it is certainly the most Arab of Moroccan cities, and in that sense has greater appeal to the purist.