Fes el-Bali Medina
فاس البالي
The world’s largest car-free medieval city, where nearly 10,000 lanes preserve markets, workshops, mosques, and madrasas.
فاس البالي was founded in 789 CE by the Idrisid dynasty, and for more than a thousand years it remained Morocco’s religious, scholarly, and craft center. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The old city was built on the slopes on both sides of a river valley. Its roughly 9,000 winding alleys are impassable by car, so goods are still carried by donkeys and handcarts. Two main thoroughfares, Talaa Kebira (the Great Slope) and Talaa Seghira (the Small Slope), run downhill from باب بوجلود toward the Al-Qarawiyyin area. Along the way, markets are grouped by trade: the Seffarine copper-workers’ square, spice and dried-fruit stalls, weaving workshops, woodworking shops, and traditional bread ovens. A recommended route is to enter through باب بوجلود, follow Talaa Kebira past the المدرسة البوعنانية, the Attarine Madrasa, and جامع القرويين, then head to the دار الدبغ شوارة and the copper square, and finally leave from R’cif Square by taxi. Entry to the old city is free. Hiring a licensed guide for half a day helps you avoid wasted detours. Offline maps such as Maps.me help with orientation but are not always accurate. Keep an eye on your bags and cameras, and ask permission before photographing residents and vendors.
Opening hours
Open all day (shops about 9:00 AM–7:00 PM; some closed Fridays)
Nearby sights
- Place Seffarine
- University of al-Qarawiyyin
- Al-Attarine Madrasa
- Zawiya of Moulay Idris II
- Sahrij Madrasa
- Chouara Tannery
- Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts
- Mosque of the Andalusians