The Fes medina is one of the world’s great urban experiences — a city within a city that has continued to function as a medieval settlement while the modern world has grown up around it. Fes el-Bali, the old city, contains more than 9,000 streets and alleys, making it the largest car-free urban area on earth. It is also a living museum of Islamic architecture, craft production, religious scholarship, and daily Moroccan life — simultaneously overwhelming and deeply rewarding for any visitor who engages with it seriously.
The Essential Sights of Fes Medina
Chouara Tannery
The Chouara tannery is the most iconic sight in Fes and one of Morocco’s most photographed locations. Stone vats filled with natural dyes — saffron for yellow, poppy for red, indigo for blue, henna for orange — surround workers treading hides in a process unchanged since the eleventh century. The view is available from surrounding leather shop balconies, where shopkeepers will invite visitors to view for free in exchange for a brief look around their merchandise. Visit between 9am and noon for the most activity and the best light.
Bou Inania Madrasa
The 14th-century Bou Inania Madrasa is a masterpiece of Marinid architecture — a religious school whose central courtyard combines carved cedar wood, zellij tilework, and sculpted plaster to create one of the most beautiful interior spaces in Morocco. Non-Muslims can visit freely, making it the most accessible example of traditional Islamic architectural artistry in Fes.
Al-Qarawiyyin University
Founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri, the Al-Qarawiyyin University is recognised by UNESCO as the world’s oldest continuously operating educational institution. The adjacent mosque complex is the spiritual heart of the medina, and while non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque itself, the surrounding neighbourhood and the restored library — which houses manuscripts dating to the ninth century — convey the institution’s extraordinary historical significance. The UNESCO listing for the Medina of Fes can be found at TripAdvisor — Merzouga Desert.
Fes on Morocco Desert Tours
Fes serves as both a starting point and an endpoint for several of our most popular desert tours. Our 2-Day Tour from Fes to Merzouga Desert departs from Fes and ends in Marrakech, while our 10-Day Morocco Grand Tour from Marrakech arrives in Fes from the south. Browse our tours from Fes for all options, and our luxury tours for premium Fes experiences. See also Visit Morocco Official Tourism for comprehensive Fes travel planning.
