Street balconies
Houses facing out.
Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium — CC BY-SA 2.0 · R Prazeres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TomiValny — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Slav4|Ariel Palmon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yamen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yamen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Werner100359 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The historic quarter of the Moroccan Jews of Fes, in Fes el-Jdid beside the Royal Palace, believed to date from the mid-fifteenth century; it is the oldest mellah in Morocco, and from here the word mellah spread to the Jewish quarters of Moroccan cities. Few Jews live here today, but it keeps landmarks of their history. On the main street you notice houses with wooden and iron balconies open to the road, unlike the inward-facing houses of the old medina around their courtyards, with jewellers' and tailors' shops below. Its best-known landmark is the seventeenth-century Ibn Danan Synagogue, restored in the late 1990s, with its hall of zellij and wood and carved ark. At the edge of the quarter lies the large Jewish cemetery with its whitewashed tombs, including shrines of revered figures. Wandering the quarter is free, with small fees for the synagogue and the cemetery. It is a few steps from the Royal Palace gates on Place des Alaouites.
Houses facing out.
17th century.
Whitewashed tombs.
Fes el-Jdid, near the Royal Palace, Fes
Royal Palace of Fes (Dar al-Makhzen)The palace of the King of Morocco in Fes, known as Dar al-Makhzen, whose foundat2 minutes walk
Jnan Sbil GardensA historic public garden between Fes el Bali and Fes el-Jdid, created by Sultan 10 minutes walk
Al Batha Museum of Islamic ArtsA former royal palace between Fes el Bali and Fes el-Jdid, commissioned by Sulta14 minutes walk
Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate)The most famous and beautiful gate of Fes, known as the Blue Gate and the main e15 minutes walk
Bou Inania MadrasaA madrasa built by the Marinid sultan Abu Inan Faris between 1350 and 1355, coun17 minutes walkIts houses were built with balconies facing the street, unlike the old medina's houses that turn inward to a courtyard, one of the quarter's clearest features.