taroudant: Fes - A Gated Community

Sunday 4 September 2011

Fes - A Gated Community

The twin city of Fes of Fes was founded by the Idrissads in the 8C on the opposing banks of the river. Andalusian Fes specialising in manufacturing and Kairouan Fes in commerce. The first university of the western world was founded here and Fes became a city of great religous learning and importance but it was under the Merinids who made it their capital in the13C that Fes reached its glory days. Today the whole of Fes el Bali, the old city, is a UNESCO world heritage sight and it is a little bit like walking round a museum, albeit a frenetic , in your face, shouting ,haggling, can't stay still museum.
We took a taxi round the walls and stopped to photograph the gates. Inside we took a guide who first showed us the impressive gates of the Royal Palace. As with the majority of Islamic cities Fes was built on a system of linking neighbourhoods each having its own mosque,hamman, bakehouse and shops. Main thoroughfares (often only wide enough to take a donkeycart) linked the neighbourhoods together. The thoroughfares had gates where the neighbouhoods met so each neighbourhood could be isolated in the event of invasion or insurrection. They are still there and our guide described with eloquent indignation how they were used by the French during the "protectorate" to suppress any opposition to their rule.