Walking around the 9,400 winding alleyways of Fes el-Bali is like wandering a maze. Location in Fes, Morocco, it’s the world’s largest surviving medieval city, crowded with shops and stalls, mosques and medersas (theological colleges), dates and spices and fresh cuts of meat.
Fes el-Bali is one of the city’s three main districts, and it’s believed to be the world’s largest car-free urban zone. It’s also home to the world’s oldest university, the University of Al-Karaouine, which you can stop by and visit (if you’re able to find it, tucked in the heart of the medina). The alleyways are far too narrow for cars, and too crowded for just about anything but foot traffic. You’ll wander upon scores of leather tanneries and sites of prayer, as well as stalls selling fresh fruit and tourist gimmicks. Fes el-Bali traces its history back to the Idrisid dynasty, where it served as the capital from 789 to 808 AD.
It’s easy to get lost, as the medina is truly huge, and it can be challenging and tiring trying to get your bearings and find the right signage. But that’s part of the fun—you never know where you might end up. There are small home stays and bed and breakfasts hidden in the alleyways themselves; what seems like a dark, dusty corner opens into a grand, tiled space with towering ceilings and ornate wood carvings—and of course some very sweet, freshly made mint tea.
Fes el-Bali was designated a World Heritage site in 1981. One of its most distinctive icons is the “The Blue Gate,” also known as Bab Bou Jeloud, that leads into the pedestrian-only part of the city. Wander outside of Fes-el Bali and you’ll find a very different side of the city, with cars and bus stations and fast food. But wander a bit further and you can walk along the walls that once encircled the entire city, now crumbling, and stare from above and afar into the heart of Fes el-Bali, and see from a new angle how truly dense and colorful the ancient city is.