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Spice souq, Fes

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Morocco

Things to see in Fes

Tourist information: 

ONMT Délégation de Tourisme
Immeuble Bennani
Corner of avenue Moulay Youssef at place de la Résistance (aka La Fiat)
Nouvelle Ville
Tel: 055 623 460.

There is also a tourist information office or syndicat d'initiative on the eastern side of place Mohammed V (tel: 055 624 769).

Passes: 

There are currently no passes for sightseeing in Fes.

Dar Batha Museum

Extensive collection of historical treasures showcasing Moroccan arts and crafts: fine embroidery, leatherwork, carpets and jewellery, woodcarving, ceramics, all housed in a century old Moorish palace. Guided tour obligatory. The museum's Andalusian garden is a tranquil retreat from the bustle of the medina.

Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Place du Batha, Fes, Morocco
Telephone: 0535 634 116.
Fondouk el-Nejjarine (Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts)

A Fès landmark, the exquisitely restored former caravanserai which once provided food and shelter to traders is now the Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts. Inside visitors will be able to examine close up its most intricate carvings. Outside, in the pretty place el-Nejjarine (Carpenters' Square) is the Nejjarine Fountain, best known of the medina's mosaic fountains, and in the alleys that lead off the square is the Nejjarine Souk, where carpenters still chisel and carve cedar wood.

Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Place el-Nejjarine , Fès, Morocco
Telephone: 0535 621706.
Hammams in Fes

The traditional hammam or bathhouse, is a place to socialise as well as be scrubbed and massaged after pounding the alleys of the medina. Information about hammams is available at www.fesmedina.com/features/hammam.htm. Through the Bab Boujeloud gate at the top of Talaa Seghira, Hammam Mernisi is considered a superior, foreigner-friendly affair. There are different hours for men and women. Less adventurous travellers staying in smart hotels may prefer to use the on-site facilities.

Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address:
Kairaouine Mosque

Non-Muslims may not enter this huge mosque, in the heart of Fès El-Bali but often the doors stand open and it is possible to take a discreet look inside. Established in 857, the Kairaouine Mosque is one of the oldest in the western Muslim world. Due to the proximity of surrounding houses and shops, the best place to appreciate the scale of the mosque is from the roof of the Mederse el Attarine, which is sometimes open to the public.

Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Fès, Morocco
Medersa Bou Inania

A must-see site, the medersa or theological college is one of the few Islamic religious buildings open to non-Muslims. Constructed between 1350-1356 by the Merenid sultan Bou Inan, it is considered the finest and most lavishly decorated medersa built by the Merenids and the only one in Morocco with a minbar (pulpit) and a minaret. Closed during prayer times. (Some parts may be inaccessible due to restoration work.)

Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Rue Talaa Kebira , Fès, Morocco
Medersa el Attarine

Founded in 1325, this medersa in the heart of the medina has wondrous decorative detail and is, after the Bou Inania, the most impressive of the medieval Muslim colleges. One of the best views of the Kairaouine Mosque is from the roof of the Medersa el Attarine if you can persuade the caretaker to give you access.

Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Opposite the Kairaouine Mosque, Fes, Morocco
The Tanneries

A Fes institution little changed for six centuries, the pungent tanneries or Chouara is the most extraordinary sight in the medina. Swarms of leather workers pound animal hides with their feet or dip skins into honeycombed huge stone vats of pigment, their bare legs stained by dyes. The tanners' yard can be best seen from the surrounding terrace rooftops, such as Terrasse de Tannerie , a shop selling leather goods, accessible from a staircase leading up from Derb Chouara in the medina. (It is expected that you will at least look around the shop afterwards, and if nothing is bought a tip to the shop owner is appreciated). This is not a place to be downwind on a hot afternoon when the stench of pigeon dung (used as part of the curing process) can be unpleasantly strong.

Opening Times: Daily 0900 to 1800.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Bab Debbagh (Tannery Gate), Fes, Morocco
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