There are more than 13,000 historic buildings in Fes.Over 6,000 Jews were killed in Fes in 1033 in an incident known as the Fes massacre.Despite the ensuing neglect of the medina, the oldest and walled part of the city known as Fès el-Bali was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1981 – the first time an Islamic and Arab city had been accorded with the title. The Ville Nouvelle (new town) was built, characterised by wide, straight boulevards. In 1912, most of Morocco became a French protectorate, with Rabat as capital. But during the 18th-century reign of Moulay Abdallah, Fes became the capital once more. The city was finally conquered by the Ottomans in 1579. It naturally became an important trading centre.īy the 16th century, the city had lost its capital status after the Wattasid Dynasty took over Fes with the support of the Turks. The city known as the ‘Athens of Africa’ was filled with many great buildings and monuments, including madrassas bearing a distinctive blend of Arab and Andalusian styles. By the 11th century, the city had a cosmopolitan population of more than 500,000 inhabitants, including Moors, Berbers, Jews, Turks and Christians, and the two settlements on opposing riverbanks established by Idriss I, and then his son, had merged.įes reached its zenith as a centre of learning and commerce in 1269 when the Merenids made it their new capital and its reputation as an intellectual hub began to grow. In the 9th century, waves of immigrants from Spain (mainly Muslim families fleeing the Catholic Reconquista) and Tunisia brought expertise and wealth to the burgeoning city.īy the middle of the 9th century, the University of Al Quaraouiyine was built, one of the largest and oldest in the world. He led local Berbers in conquest of the region and established the Kingdom of Morocco, before being poisoned by the Abbasids. The oldest of Morocco's imperial cities, Fes was founded in 789 by Idriss I, who was fleeing the Abbasids of Baghdad.
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