Fes; The Andalusian Quarter

Fes medina is divided into two by the River of Pearls, the Oued al Jawahir. The right bank is dominated by the Andalusian Mosque and is hence known as the Andalusian Quarter. It was quite a disappointment. The famous Bin Lamdoun Bridge was undergoing renovations and all that could be seen was a lot of steel sheeting and the sound of running water. The descent to the bridge had been quite steep but the ascent on the other side was very steep. Lots of places of interest were listed in the guidebook including some medersas, all of which turned out to be closed for restoration. The Andalusian mosque was impressive and is one of the few Almohad buildings in Fes but of course we couldn't go in.

 Coming from Taroudant which is a Barca town we found some of the wall art a bit unsettling.

Football supporters in Morocco are similar to or worse than Milwall supporters in the 80s. A recent game in Casablance resullted in 2 dead and 54 injured in clashes outside the ground.

We managed to come out near Bab Ftouh, the Gate of Victory. It was originally built in the 11C but was expanded in the 18C. It has a pleasant modern fountain just outside. The wall crenelations like all in Fes were of small square pillars with a pyramid on top unlike the crenelations in Marrakesh or Taroudant.