Thursday 17 March 2016

Fes; Bab Boujloud



The difficulty about Fes el Bali, the medieval area is that it is built on two sides of a river valley and the streets run down to it very steeply. The medina is walled and there are no cars inside, it having been designed only for donkeys. There is  dual carriage way following the walls most of the way round with car parks built near the main gates. The knack is to enter at a gate high up and then follow a downhill route and then leave from a lower gate where you can get a taxi from the car park and avoid any steep ascent. The gates are old and impressive  and a tour of them by car is a recommended route for tourists.
Bab Boujoud is a modern gate built by the French during the Protectorate. It has a central arch with two smaller lateral arches and is decorated with zelij, green on the inside




 and Fassi blue on the outside.




 It is a principal entrance for tourists being on end of the Talaa Sghira or small slope and the parallel Talaa Kbira, big slope, the main routes through the medina. There are a large number of cheap restaurant just inside and around the gate.


  

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