Fes
Fez
The fez (Turkish: fes,
plural fezzes or fezes), or tarboosh is a felt hat either
in the shape of a red truncated cone or in the shape of a short cylinder made of
kilim fabric. Both usually have tassels.
Before 1826, the fez was only
found in the Maghreb and was known by the city of its own name Fez. It is known
that after the Moors and Jews expulsionof 1492, they took their Northern
Mediterranean fashions along with them to North Africa and the Near East. The
production of the headgear was developed to high fashionable heights by Jewish
tailors with a special style of it in Tunis by the XVII century when fashions in
Europe already changed in less traditional ways. The artisans involved in their
making were the most selective members of the city’s souk.
After Sultan Mahmud II
suppressed the Janissaries in 1826, he decreed that the official headgear for
his military would be the fez with a cloth wrapped around it. In 1829, he
ordered his civil officials to wear the plain fez, in the expectation that the
populace at large would follow suit. This was a radically egalitarian measure
which replaced the elaborate sumtuary laws which signaled rank, religion, and
occupation, allowing prosperous non-Muslims to express their wealth in
competitions with Muslims, foreshadowing the Tanzimat reforms. On the other
hand, tradesmen and artisans generally rejected the fez.
Initially a symbol of Ottoman
modernity, the fez came to be seen as part of an "Oriental" cultural
identity. In Tuekey, wearing the fez was legally banned in 1925 as part of the
modernizing reforms of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In his speech attacking Ottoman
dress as decadent, he condemned the fez as "the headcovering of Greeks",
tarring it by association with the recent Greco-Turkish War. And it was still
the traditional headgear covering among some mountain folk in remote parts of
the Balkans less in fashion with the rest of European mainstream and based in
the diverse but basically similar ancient Pileus of Mediterranean peoples which
interestingly had its roots in the Phrygian cap of Ancient Anatolians.
Fes
or Fez (Arabic: Fās, French: Fès)
is the second largest city of Morocco, following Casaclanka, with a population
of approximately 1 million (2010). It is the capital of the Fes-Boulemane
region.
Fes, the former capital, is one
of the country's four "imperial cities," the others being
Rabat,Marrakesh and Meknes. It comprises three distinct parts, Fes el Bali (the
old, walled city), Fes-Jdid ( the new Fes, home of the Mellah) and the Ville
Nouvelle (the French-created, newest section of Fes).
Fes el Bali is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Its medina, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is believed to
be the world's largest contiguous car-free urban area. The University of Al-Karaouine,
founded in AD 859, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the
world. It has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens
of Africa".
Volubilis
Volubilis
(Arabic: Walili) is an archaeological site in Morocco situated
near Meknes between Fez and Rabat. Volubilis features the best-preserved Roman
ruins in this part of northern Africa. In 1997 the site was listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage site
In antiquity,
Volubilis was an important Roman town situated near the westernmost border of
Roman conquests. It was built on the site of a previous Carthaginian settlement
from (at the latest) the third century BC.
Volubilis was
the administrative center of the province in Roman Africa called Mauretania
Tingitana.
The Romans
evacuated most of Morocco at the end of the 3rd century AD but, unlike some
other Roman cities, Volubilis was not abandoned. However, it appears to have
been destroyed by an earthquake in the late fourth century AD. It was reoccupied
in the sixth century, when a small group of tombstones written in Latin shows
the existence of a community that still dated its foundation by the year of the
Roman province.
Volubilis' structures were
damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake; while in the 18th century part of the
marble was taken for constructions in nearby Meknes.
In 1915, archaeological
excavation was begun there by the French and it continued through into the
1920s. Extensive remains of the Roman town have been uncovered. From 2000
excavations carried out by revealed what should probably be interpreted as the
headquarters of Idris I just below the walls of the Roman town to the west.
Excavations within the walls also revealed a section of the early medieval town
Meknes
(Berber:
Meknas or Ameknas, French: Meknès,
Spanish: Mequinez) is a city in northern Morocco. Meknes
was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727),
before it was relocated to Marrakesh. The population is 985,000 (2010 census).
It is the capital of the Meknes-Tafilalet region. Meknes is named after a Berber
tribe.
The original community from
which Meknes can be traced was an 8th century Kasbah. A Berber tribe called the
Miknasa settled there in the 9th century, and a town consequently grew around
the previous borough.
The Almoravids founded a
fortress here in the 9th century. It resisted to the Almohads rise, and was thus
destroyed by them, only to be rebuilt in larger size with mosques and large
fortifications. Under the Merinids it received further Maadrasas, kasbahs and
mosques in the early 14th century, and continued to thrive under the Wattasid
dynasty. Meknes saw its golden age as the imperial capital of Moulay Ismail
following his accession to the Sultanate of Morocco (1672-1727). He installed
under the old city a large prison to house Christian sailors captured on the
sea, and also constructed numerous edifices, gardens, monumental gates, mosques
(whence the city's nickname of "City of the Hundred Minarets") and the
large line of wall, having a length of 40 km.
The Zaouia Moulay Idriss II
is a zaouia (shrine) in Fes dedicated to and tomb of Moulay Idriss II, who ruled
Morocco from 807 to 828 and founded the city of Fes for the second time in 810.
In the year 1308, almost five
centuries since the death of Moulay Idriss II, an uncorrupted body was found on
the spot. People believed this was Moulay Idriss II and founded the Zaouia.
Originally built by the Marinids circa 1440, over the centuries the building was
amended heavily, and almost completely replaced in the 18th century by Moulay
Ismail in a style typical of the alaouites that govern Morocco to this day.
Moulay Idriss II is the patron
saint of the city of Fes, and it is believed that visiting his zaouia is
beneficial for strangers visiting the city, boys before being circumcised and
women wanting to facilitate childbirth.
Diagonally opposite the Koubbat
as-Sufara’ is the resting place of the sultan who made Meknès
his capital in the 17th century. Moulay Ismail’s stature as one of Morocco’s
greatest rulers means that non-Muslim visitors are welcomed into the sanctuary.
Entry is through a series of austere, peaceful courtyards meant to induce a
quiet and humble attitude among visitors, an aim that’s not always successful
in the face of a busload of tourists. The tomb hall is a lavish contrast and
showcase of the best of Moroccan craftsmanship. Photography is permitted, but
non-Muslims may not approach the tomb itself.
Bab El Mansor
Among
the most impressive elements of the imperial city was the grand gate named after
the architect, El-Mansour, a Christian renegade who converted to Islam. It was
completed 5 years after Moulay Ismail's death, in 1732.
The
design of the gate plays with Almohad patterns. It has zellij mosaics of
excellent quality. The marble columns were taken from the Roman ruins of
Volubilis.
The
story tells that when completed, Moulay Ismail inspected the gate, asking El-Mansur
if he could do better. El-Mansur felt complied to answer “yes”, making the
sultan so furious he had him executed. Still, according to historical records,
the gate was finished after Moulay Ismail's death.
The
gate itself is now used as an arts and crafts galleyr; entry is by a side gate.
The
focus of Place el-Hedim is the huge gate of Bab el-Mansour, the grandest of all
imperial Moroccan gateways. The gate is well preserved with lavish (if faded)
zellij and inscriptions across the top. It was completed by Moulay Ismail's son,
Moulay Abdallah, in 1732. You can't walk through the bab itself - which is
opened only on grand occasions - but instead have to make do with a side gate to
the left.
Meknes of the Agdal Basin
Meknes was once the heart of the Moroccan sultante
and its impressive buildings reflect this heritage.The majority of the enormous
works were built by Moulay Ismail. Moulay Ismail came to power in 1672 and for
the next 55 years building his capital.
he stone-lined lake of
Agdal was both a reservoir and a pleasure lake. It was fed by irrigation canals
25 km long. The basin still very much serves the function of being a local
retreat, and families come out here frequently for picnics.
Heri
es-Souani
was Moulay Ismail's
granaries, quite gigantic in their scale. The granaries stored grain and hay to
feed the 12,000 royal horses.
The
granaries have massive walls and tiny windows, effectively creating cool storage
conditions.
Restorations
are ongoing, and enough has been reconstructred to allow it to be used as a film
location. Perhaps the most famous is the The Last Temptation of Christ
from 1988, by Martin Scorcese.
Meknes
boosts in beautiful decorations, both in wood as well as stucco. Details are
intricate, and reflects a number of Moroccan Islamic decorative patterns. Texts
are added many places, sometimes just with short religious invocations,
sometimes relating to the origin and function of the building.
Heri
es-Souani is the
enormous granary built by Moulay Ismail for more than 12,000 horses that he
posessed. The interior is cool even during summer, thanks to the massive walls
that have a width of up to 13 feet. This is a much sought-after filming location
for Hollywood moviemakers. This is especially true for the arcades outside the
granary, overgrown with foliage and olive trees. To the north of the granary,
there is the Agdal basin, which provided water for the sultan's horses and
gardens and which also served as a water reserve for the Meknes if a siege were
to happen.
Fes el Bali
(English: Old fes ) is the oldest and walled part of Fes.
Fes el Bali was originally founded as the capital of the Idrisid Dynasty in
between 789 and 808 AD. Besides being famous for having the oldest university in
the world Fes el Bali, with a total population of 156 000, is also believed to
be the biggest car-free urban area in the world.
Fes el Bali was listed as an
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 under the name Medina of Fes. The world heritage site includes Fes el Bali's urban
fabric and walls and a Buffer zone around Fes el Bali.
Fes
el Jedid
In 1250, the Merinids took control of Fes, developing the Fes el Jedid on the
plateau beside the old Medina. The Merinids made Fes the capital of their
empire, and the new Fez el Jedid served as the administrative sector of Fes. It
consisted of the imperial palace, several important mosques, a market area, and
later the Mellah (Jewish quarter).
With the
development of Fes el Jedid, Fes became a divided city, with citizens, scholars,
craftsmen, traders and laborers residing in the old Medina, while the caliph,
army, and other state agents resided in Fes el Jedid.
1438
: The Mellah
The Jewish quarter of Fes was founded in 1438, and was the first of its kind in
Morocco. The walled mellah is adjacent to Fes’s royal palace, which is
indicative of the protection needed by its Jewish inhabitants from sporadic
riots that erupted around the city. Historically, the Jewish population was a
key element in the local economy. With their expansive network of family
connections, Fes’s Jews were able to facilitate long distant trade which
bolstered Fes’s economy. With the creation of the Israel in 1948, the last of
the Jews left Fes’s mellah. Today, the mellah is inhabited by migrants from
the countryside.
The University of Al-Karaouine
or Al-Qarawiyyin is a university located in Fes which was founded in 859.
The madrasa has been (and still is) one of the leading spiritual and educational
centers of the Muslim world.
The Al-Karaouine madrasa played
a leading role in the cultural and academic relations between the Islamic world
and Europe in the middle ages. The cartographer Mohammed al-Idrisi (d. 1166),
whose maps aided European exploration in the Renaissance is said to have lived
in Fes for some time, suggesting that he may have worked or studied at Al
Karaouine. The madrasa has produced numerous scholars who have strongly
influenced the intellectual and academic history of the Muslim and Jewish
worlds.
The Al-Karaouine institution is
considered by the Guinness book the oldest continuously operating academic
degree granting university in the world. However,
this claim on precedence appears to confound the distinct nature of madrasas and
medieval universities which followed very different historical trajectories
until the former were expanded to the latter in modern times, and fails to take
into account that the medieval doctorate out of which academic degree/modern
university degrees originated had deviated from the Islamic Ijazah certificate.
Blue
gate
One of the
most famed gates of Morocco, the Bab Boueloud is surprisingly young. It was
built as late as in 1913 and marked the completion of Fez el Bali and Fez el
Jedid. The gate is beautiful. The view from the outside as the most impressive.
Seeing the minarets and the houses through its opening marks an excellent
introduction to Fez. As you enter the gate, note that the color of the mosaics
change: the outside blue reflects the color of Fez, while the inside green is
the color of Islam.