Fès or Fez (rear RTL ''' فاس ''' in Arab, פאס in Hebrew) is the third plus big city of the Morocco, after Casablanca and Rabat with a population of: 1368000 inhabitants. It is one of the four “imperial cities” (with Marrakech, Meknès and Rabat). The Médina (old city), a model example of an Eastern city, is placed under the protection of UNESCO; it is unchanged since the 12th century. The major blue of its ceramics is one of the symbols characteristic of Fès. It has largest médina world. Its international radiation passed does of it one of the capitals of civilization arabo-Moslem woman at the sides of Damas, Baghdad, Cordoue, Grenade…

According to a legend, the name of the city would come from discovered from a pickaxe (Arab: rear RTL ''' فأس ''', pickaxe ) with the site of the first foundations.

Fès is not delivered easily. To reach it, it is necessary to return by the large door, at the same time visible and veiled, of crowned. Because Fès is a sanctuary. It is thus besides that the Soufis, these initiates of the Islam, always called it: the Zaouïa. The traveller who came by far knew that while arriving at the doors of the city, it is with its founder and his patron saint himself that he asked hospitality. For him, Fès is the town of Moulay Idriss.

Many Fassi S still by heart knows what the chroniclers report as being the words, at the time of the inaugural prayer, of the saint: “O God, You know that I did not build this city by vanity, by desire of re-elected or by pride. But I would like that you would be adored there, that Your Book is Lu and Your Law applied there as long as will last the world. O God, guide towards the good those which live there and helps to achieve it, veil in their eyes the sword of anarchy and dissidence…”

Fès, which was during several centuries a political and intellectual capital of Morocco, had become a center of meetings and exchanges. It is reported that Sylvestre II (Gerbert of Aurillac), Pape of 999 with 1003, remained there in its youth to make there studies after which it introduced the Arab numerals in Europe. Maïmonide, doctor and Jewish philosopher , also lived there a few years during which he taught with the Quaraouiyine. The work of this philosopher is a marvellous illustration of this symbiosis of the culture judéo-Islamic which had prevailed in Andalusia, and found an echo similar to Fès.

History

Foundation

The city “Médina Fès” was founded by Idrîs I {{er}} in 789 in the place of the current district of the Andalusians. In 808, Idris II bases “Al-Aliya” on other bank of the wadi of Fès. Al  Aliya develops very quickly and becomes a true city with mosque, palate and kisariya (market, market).

The vital sources of water in the neighborhoods of Fès, which before even its foundation were known and rented in song, have without any doubt be an important criterion at the time of the choice of the site for the future metropolis.

The following evolutions are due to two successive waves of emigration: starting from 817  -   818 settle in the city founded by Idrîs Ier close to 800  Andalusian families expelled by the Omeyyades of the Spanish city of Cordoue. Little time after approximately 2  000  banished families of Kairouan (fleeing persecutions of the Aghlabides) are installed on the other bank. The university mosque “Quaraouiyine” founded at the 9th century becomes one of the spiritual and cultural centers most important of the time. Its influence is made feel into the schools of the Islamic Spain and beyond towards the Europe and it is known to be the oldest university in the world.

The new arrivals bring with them a technical and artisanal know-how as well that an long experience of the town life. Under their impulse, Fès becomes an important arts center and after the foundation of the university mosque Quaraouiyine the religious heart of the the Maghreb.

Fès is on a particularly advantageous site, with the crossing of important trade route, in the middle of a naturally generous area with invaluable raw materials for the craft industry (stone, wood, clay). This enables him to develop very quickly. Fès is in particular on the road of the caravans going of the the Mediterranean in the Black Africa while passing by the commercial big city Sijilmassa (disappeared at the 17th century) in the area of Tafilalt.

The Middle Ages

The two parts of the city are linked with the Middle Ages, destroying the wall which separated them. Fès loses its role of capital with the foundation of Marrakech by the dynasty Almoravide at the 11th century but in 1250 thanks to the dynasty Mérinide takes it again. Under their reign, the new city El Medinet El-Beida (the white city) is founded in 1276, it is equipped with ramparts, palate and gardens. It is quickly known under the name of Fès Djedid (the Fès news) in opposition to Fès el Bali (the old city). The Jewish population which was in the neighborhoods of the palate is forced to leave and the Mellah (Jewish district) is formed in the old district of the garrison of the archers Syria NS. At the beginning of the 14th century (apogee of art Hispano-Moorish), the city knows a strong growth. The university Quaraouiyine is then known universally. Thanks to the caravans going to the port of Badis in the Rif, Fès is permanently related on Islamic Spain and Europe. In 1471, the city falls to the hands from the dynasty Beni Wattas.

XVI - XVIIIe centuries

In 1522, Fès suffers from an earthquake which destroys the city partly. In the years which follow, of many buildings are rebuilt, restored or replaced by the new ones. The dynasty of the Saadiens takes the city in 1554 but chooses Marrakech like capital. At the end of the 17th century, with the beginnings of the dynasty alaouite, Moulay Ismail chooses Meknès like new capital. It installs in Fès part of the clan of Udaia which had helped it to gain the capacity. After its death (1727), Udaia revolt, they will be driven out city only in 1833 by Abd Al-Rahman. Moulay Abdallah, the successor of Moulay Ismail, makes of Fès its place of residence and makes renovate or lately to build mosques, schools (madrasas), bridges and streets, the streets of Fès Djedid are paved.

XIXe century

To the 19th century, the two old parts of the city are connected to new constructions like the palate bouloudjoubou. Until the beginning of protectorate in 1912, Fès is the capital of Morocco.

French protectorate and independence

It is in Fès that the treaty of French and Spanish protectorate (for the North of the country as well as the the Sahara Occidental) is signed the May 30th 1912. Less than three weeks after the signature, of the riots burst in the city. Rabat is declared officially capital of Morocco, Fès remains however an important place of residence royal and arts center, artisanal, commercial but such a political. The Istiqlal (Left Independence) is established in Fès by Allal El-Resident of Fez. Many the initiatives to drive out the French occupant start from Fès. In 1944, is written proclamation for independence in a house of old the médina, today place of the Istiqlal. The city will be the object of riots in the years 1980 and at the beginning of 90. Under the direction of Lyautey and according to the plans of the architect Henri Prost, a new city develops in the surroundings of Dar Debibagh in the south of Fès Djedid. If it were initially the residential district of Europeans, the “new city” continued to develop like modern Arab city with new districts of villas. The authorities, institutions and service companies settled there.

Demography

The town of Fès counts currently approximately 1  050  000 inhabitants and is divided into three parts:

  • Fès el-Jedid : Built at the 13th century by the Mérinides, it is an administrative and royal city where the King likes to go to mark the solemnity of an event or the importance of a decision.
  • Fès el-Bali : The old working, built by the Idrissides.
Fès el-jedid and Fès el-Bali form the médina of Fès, belonging to the world heritage of UNESCO.
  • Fès new city (Dar Dbibegh) : built by French at the time of protectorate. It is in this part of Fès that modernity and tradition meet.

Médina de Fès currently shelters a population of 156.000 inhabitants.

Big families of Fès

See also: Big families of Fès

Administrative organization

Networks Post-office employee

Geography

Topography

August 1st

Climate

Located close to the Average Atlas, i.e. inside the grounds, it is a climate at the base Mediterranean but strongly crossbred of continentality and undergoing the effect of slope of the mountains (more precipitations, cold winds). The winter cold very often recalls the abundant snow of the Average Atlas to 60 km in the south of the city. That results in a strong thermal amplitude. The winter can, according to altitude, to prove very rigorous. It is said that it snows in Fès one year out of two or one year out of three.

The voyage is possible there all the year, but spring (April and May) and the autumn (semi September at the end of October) are the two most pleasant seasons, as for the worldwide besides. In April, the maximum average temperatures are of 18°C and the minimal ones of 8°C. In September, the minimal ones are close to 15°C, while the maximum ones exceed the 27°C slightly.

The summer, the maximum average temperatures go up until 35°C. Better is worth to leave the morning and the evening to benefit from diversity the landscapes from the area.

Lastly, the winter is, compared to the littoral or southernmost areas, cold. However, it appears extremely soft, compared to the areas of Eastern, Rif or the Atlas.

Economy

August 1st Fès had much evil to adapt to the economic swing of the country towards the Atlantic coast and in particular towards the Reduction-Casablanca rectangle. So of many Fez-native families having profited from an education eminent stations in the companies (Casablanca especially) acquired and especially in the administration (Reduction), the return towards Fès was considered little.

The city is known to be somewhat neglected during one moment, inter alia by preoccupation with a balance with the other centers of the country in full boom but also for its critical side: the infrastructures miss (roads and system of water conveyance in particular), the tradesmen go elsewhere: Casablanca-reduction but also the northern coast (of Tétouan with Oujda), grace certainly to the famous traffic of hachich but also by the " effect; détaxe" Spanish enclaves and a long time avid market of consumer goods which was socialist Algeria. the rural migration of the campaigns around is immense: the city doubled or triplet of population, mainly by the arrival of these peasants.

Fès is reorientated gradually towards two sectors:

  • the agricultural one: Fès thus plays the part of manifold center: the plain of Know, old drained lake, is very fertile and the mountain constitutes an environment favorable to certain market-gardening and fruit-bearing productions absent in the remainder of the country (red fruits…).
  • tourism (see low). in full boom. the choice of the authorities is to launch out on a sector more " culturel" that the large Marrakech rival, and thus on easier customers. She is competed with here on this sector by Essaouira.

What misses in Fès:

  • the fact of being now with the variation of the true centers and economic axes of the country (the coast of Tangier with Marrakech).
  • few valid training centres: if the quaraouiyine is a beautiful emblem, it does not form executives and even less valid technicians.
  • the prestigious past and well-read man is in oneself a handicap, because it deforms the hierarchy of the values: in Fès, better being a civil servant with the " is worth; ministère" that a tradesman or an industrialist.

Teaching

Universities

university Al Quaraouiyine in Fès is certainly most important in the history of the city. It is the emblem of the city and its architecture is one of best representing style arabo-Andalusian (9). Its name is resulting from the community of the 2000 urban families kairouanaises (of Kairouan) which had settled and founded the new district in the city (see higher).

Founded at the 9th century, it had upon the departure vocation as well of a Mosquée as of a university. For this reason, it can postulate with the title of oldest the Université of the world, or in any case the oldest educational establishment.

Like all the university of the Middle Ages (Christian Europe or occident and the East Moslems), it initially was theological then, as theology defines the right, Juridique. She also played a part of safeguarding and diffusion of the Arab language (Linguistique) (Grammaire, Rhétorique) and of translation of texts (Hebrew, Greek, Latin towards the Arab ). She is also a library of manuscripts.

This legal role has also an essential function: by its role of files (heritage in particular) it also had a function of compilation and point of reference of family chalk-linings. However, the latter have a crucial role in the assertion of the big families of the city (see the leading battle on this same site in connection with this article). It thus made it possible to establish certain rights and titles. On the theological and legal levels, it was the nodal point of the doctrines malékite. These doctrines or rite have an important extension today: approximately all Moslem West Africa to the countries haoussa in Niger and Nigeria (some included, others not).

Several figureheads of this teaching are to be quoted:

  • Abou Amrane El Fassi (430 H: 1009 C) jurisprudence malékite within the university of Kairouan (current Tunisia) and Al-Azhar (Cairo, Egypt).
  • Abu Ali Al Kali: literature, of Cordoue
  • Sabek Al Matmati: poetry, come from Damas
  • Cadi Abu Bakr Al Arabi buried in Fès was the disciple of Abi Hamed Al Ghazali in the East before publishing its works in Morocco and in Andalusia.
  • Ibn Ajroum Annahoui (723 H: 1302 C) grammar, in Fès, which was commented on with the Cairo and Baghdad, was translated and published in Europe (8).

An important contribution of university Al Quaraouiyine at the Moroccan company and the arabo-Islamic companies is the construction of the Islamic personality, the religious identity and the social memory.

the university Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah is a founded modern university in 1975. One counts 9 establishments in full revival there equipped with installations of quality: libraries, amphitheaters, laboratories, conference rooms, multi-media equipment:

  • Medical college and of Pharmacy
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Legal sciences, economic and Social
  • Faculty of Arts and Social sciences
  • Faculty of Science and Technology
  • University of Technology
  • National school of Sciences Applied
  • National school of Trade and Management

Universities

August 1st

Tourism

These last decades, the Tourisme did not cease developing (1  million visitors per annum) and became an important economic factor. This became all the more important thanks to cultural events such as the Festival of Fès of the sacred musics of the world to the current of June of each year. Many foreigners settled in Fès and opened houses of hosts.

Monuments

  • Mosque El-Qaraouiyyîn
  • Palate Batha
  • Médersa Bou-Inania
  • Foundouk of the skin dressers
  • Mosque Ech-Cherabliyyîn
  • Museum Nejjarîn of Arts and Trades of wood
  • Médersa El-Attarîn
  • Mosque of the Andalusians
  • Médersa Northern Es-Sahrij
  • Borj

Fès, spiritual capital

Cultural and spiritual capital of Morocco, Fès is a thousand-year-old city. By marking out it, one can easily let oneself carry through his history, thanks to his many mosques, Médersa S, Fondouk S, fountains and rooms of ablution, gardens historical, walls and ramparts, strengthened doors, Mellah and Synagog S, manufactures, mausoleums, palate and Riad S, places and souks. But that they are Idrissides with the Alaouites, Andalusians with the Jews, all the dynasties and all the people left their print on the city. These last years of many monuments were restored, like the Médersa El-Attarîn, the médersa Bou-Inania (14th century), Magana (a single hydraulic clock in the world) and the library of the mosque Quaraouiyine. The latter has very rare manuscripts write by famous scientists like Ibn Rochd (Averroès) or Ibn Khaldoun. Called " monuments verts" the gardens of the palate Batha, built at the 19th century by the sultan alaouite Moulay Hassan Ier and that of the Riad Moqri dating from the beginning 20th century found their vegetation. Today the médina is the principal center of attraction. The centers of contemporary cultures miss there cruelly. However, some arts centres and galleries are born: the Arts center municipal Agdal (close to the Florence place) account a theater and a gallery of exposures, the Gallery Mohammed Kacimi.

Sacred musics of the world

See also: Festival of Fès of the sacred musics of the world

Each year, the town of Fès organizes its festival. Moroccan groups but also of the whole world are invited for the occasion, in order to play these anthems with the celestial tastes. But this festival wants to be initially to be the carrier of the spirit of Fès.

Arabo-Andalusian music

See also: arabo-Andalusian Music

Transport

August 1st

Twinning and partnerships

Photo gallery

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