Fes el Bali is the oldest walled part of Fez, the second largest city of Morocco. Fes el Bali was founded as the capital of the Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808 AD. UNESCO listed Fes el Bali, along with Fes Jdid, as a World Heritage Site in 1981 under the name Medina of Fez. The World Heritage Site includes Fes el Bali's urban fabric and walls as well as a buffer zone outside of the walls that is intended to preserve the visual integrity of the location. Fes el Bali is, along with Fes Jdid and the French-created Ville Nouvelle or “New Town”, one of the three main districts in Fez.
Fez or Fes 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. Located to the northwest of the Atlas Mountains, it is surrounded by hills and the old city is centered around the Fez River flowing from west to east. Fez has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens of Africa". It is also considered the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Fez, Morocco.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Meknes, Morocco.
The Kasbah An-Nouar or Kasbah Filali is a walled district and former military enclosure in the old medina of Fez, Morocco. Its name means "citadel of the flowers", but it is sometimes also referred to as Kasbah Filala and Kasbah Chorfa. It is one of several fortified military enclosures or kasbahs that were built around the old city of Fez across different periods.
The Bab Guissa Mosque is a medieval mosque in northern Fes el-Bali, the old city of Fez, Morocco. It is located next to the city gate of the same name, and also features an adjoining madrasa.
The R'cif Mosque is a Friday mosque in Fes el-Bali, the old city (medina) of Fez, Morocco. It has one of the tallest minarets in the city and overlooks Place R'cif in the heart of the medina.
The Chrabliyine Mosque is a Marinid-era mosque in Fez, Morocco.
The architecture of Fez, Morocco, reflects the wider trends of Moroccan architecture dating from the city's foundation in the late 8th century and up to modern times. The old city (medina) of Fes, consisting of Fes el-Bali and Fes el-Jdid, is notable for being an exceptionally well-preserved medieval North African city and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A large number of historic monuments from different periods still exist in it today, including mosques, madrasas, synagogues, hammams (bathhouses), souqs (markets), funduqs (caravanserais), defensive walls, city gates, historic houses, and palaces.
The Mosque of Abu al-Hasan is a historic neighbourhood mosque in Fes el-Bali, the old medina of Fes, Morocco. It is located on Tala'a Seghira street, near the Bou Inania Madrasa.
Tala'a Kebira is one of the longest and most important streets in Fes el-Bali, the old city (medina) of Fes, Morocco. The street runs roughly east to west, starting near the Bab Bou Jeloud and Bab Mahrouk gates in the west and ending at the al-Attarine Madrasa in the east, near the Qarawiyyin Mosque. It constitutes one of the main souq streets in the old city and a number of important historic monuments are built along it.
The Al-Anouar Mosque, formerly also known as the Mosque of the Sheikhs, was the oldest mosque in Fes, Morocco. It was founded by Idris I at the same time as he founded the city itself, in the early 9th century. It was located slightly northeast of the current Mosque of the Andalusians, which surpassed it as the main mosque of the area. Today only remnants of the mosque have survived.
The Bou Jeloud Mosque is a historic Almohad-era mosque in the former Kasbah of Bou Jeloud, located near Bab Bou Jeloud, in Fes, Morocco.
The Moulay Abdallah Mosque or Mosque of Moulay Abdallah is a major mosque and royal necropolis complex situated in the center of the Moulay Abdallah district in Fes el-Jdid, the historic palace-city and citadel in Fes, Morocco. It was founded by the Alaouite sultan Moulay Abdallah who is buried in the adjoining necropolis along with later members of the dynasty.
The al-Beida Mosque is a mosque in Fes el-Jdid in the historic old city of Fez, Morocco.
The Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque, or al-Zahr Mosque, is a mosque located in Fes el-Jdid in the historic old city of Fez, Morocco. It is also known by the name Jama’ el-Hajjar, probably in reference to its stone portal entrance. The mosque was founded or completed in 1357 CE by the Marinid sultan Abu Inan.
The Lalla Ghriba Mosque is one of the main neighbourhood mosques of Fes el-Jdid, a part of the historic medina of Fes, Morocco. The mosque was founded in 1408, under the reign of the Marinid sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman III.
The El-Oued Mosque is a mosque in Fes el-Bali, the historic medina of Fes, Morocco. It was built in the late 18th or early 19th century on the site of a former 14th-century madrasa by the same name.
The History of Fez begins with its foundation by Idris I and Idris II at the end of the 8th century and the beginning of the 9th century CE. It initially consisted of two autonomous and competing settlements on opposing shores of what is now known as the Oued Fes. Initially inhabited by a largely Berber (Amazigh) population, successive waves of mainly Arab immigrants from Ifriqiya (Tunisia) and al-Andalus (Spain/Portugal) over time gave the nascent city an Arab character as well. After the downfall of the Idrisid dynasty, it was contested between different Zenata groups allied with either the Fatimid Caliphate or the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba. In the 11th century the Almoravid sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin conquered the region and united its two settlements into what is today the Fes el-Bali quarter. Under the rule of the Almoravids and of the Almohads after them, despite losing the status of capital to Marrakesh, the city remained the economic and political center of northern Morocco and gained a reputation for religious scholarship and mercantile activity.
