360 photos of the city of Fez in Morocco

Fez is the second largest city in the kingdom of Morocco (1,11 million people) with a deep contribution to the history of the country. It was established in 789 A.H by the Idrisid Dynasty in the center of Morocco near the Atlas Mountains. The city of Fez has been a place of settlement for different dynasties and people through the history of humankind such as: Idrisids and Marinids. Its population is composed of 53 % of Arabs, 32% of Amazigh, 11% of Moriscos, and 4 % of people coming from sub-saharan countries.

The legend says that the word “Fez” means in Arabic “Pickaxe”, which Moulay Idriss I used to draw the borders of the city.

The architectural design of Fez contains more than 9,500 narrow streets, alleys and twisty turny paths, which makes the people who have lived their whole lives in the medina still sometimes get lost.

The culinary side of Fez

Well, it is not easier as you think to truly get into your culinary journey in Fez. There are various and delicious traditional dishes that you can taste like: succulent Tajines of beef and prunes, Couscous, chicken with lemon and olives, barbecued lamb, Briwat, Ma’qooda, traditional soups (Harira, ), and Pastilla.

Pastilla: a special pie with layers of paper-thin pastry and stuffed with chicken, almonds and lots of fresh spices. (see the picture)
Tajines: a lamb meal with seasonings vegetables or fruits and some delicious traditional spices. Some famous tajine dishes are mqualli ( pairing of chicken, olives and citrus fruits, though preparation methods differ), kefta (meatballs in an egg and tomato sauce), and mrouzia (lamb, raisins and almonds).
Couscous: a dish of steamed pearls of semolina with vegetables and meat. it is served only on fridays.
Chicken plates: Traditional dishes of chicken served with olives and lemons.
Barbecued lamb: or Mechoui is a roasted lamb on a spit over fire. it is eaten by hand with salt and cumin.
Harira: it is a traditional soup rich with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and lamb with a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
Ma’qooda: Makouda are little deep-fried potato balls, delicious dipped into spicy Harissa sauce.

Climate

Choosing the right moment to visit Fez is one of the important keys to enjoy your trip. The city has a mild and sunny mediterranean climate which means that you need to decide when you want to go there and what clothes you need to pack for your trip. For example:

If you are looking for a nice weather with a good average temperature, it would be just fantastic to visit Fez during May, September, and October.
If you are willing to enjoy the hot season of Fez, we recommend for you June, July, August and/or September.
If you are a pluviophile who finds peace and joy during rainy days, Fez will be the best destination for you during January, February, November, and December.

Transport

Most of the tourists that I have met so far asked the same question: “How can we get to Fez?”

The fact that Fez is the oldest city in Morocco does not mean that you will not find modern public transportation. Fez is served with an airport, train station, bus station. For domestic transportation in Fez, you can use Petit Taxis (Red one) and Grand Taxi(the white one), buses, or private cars(rent car).

Getting around

Buses: you can take the buses to get around the city as well as to reach the airport. Consult this website.
Petit Taxi: while you are around the city you will notice red cars, those are Petit taxis ( small taxis). You pay per Km.
Grand Taxi: white and big cars that can pick up 6 passengers at a time and usually they are used for long itinerary. The price varies from one destination to another.
Private cars: If you were willing to stay for a long period in Fez, you can rent a car from the airport or from some agencies downtown.

But if you were willing to travel to nearby cities and towns, you can take ONCF (train) or CTM (buses).