Fes el Bali
Medina of Fez | |
---|---|
Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(v) |
Reference | 170-001 |
Inscription | 1981 (5th Session) |
Area | 2.20 km2 (540 acres) |
Coordinates | 34°3′40″N 4°58′40″W / 34.06111°N 4.97778°W |
Fes el Bali (
History
As the capital for his newly acquired empire,
Under the Almoravids, Fez lost its status as a capital, which was moved to the newly created
After defeating the Almohads in Morocco, the
The Saadian dynasty (16th and early 17th centuries), who used Marrakesh again as their capital, did not lavish much attention on Fez, with the exception of the ornate ablutions pavilions added to the Qarawiyyin Mosque's courtyard during their time.[13] They built a number of new forts and bastions around the city which appear to have been aimed at keeping control over the local population. They were mostly located on higher ground overlooking Fes el-Bali, from which they would have been easily able to bombard the city with canons.[5][7] These include the Kasbah Tamdert, just inside the city walls near Bab Ftouh, and the forts of Borj Nord (Borj al-Shamali) on the hills to the north, Borj Sud (Borj al-Janoub) on the hills to the south, and the Borj Sheikh Ahmed to the west, at a point in Fes el-Jdid's walls that was closest to Fes el-Bali. These were built in the late 16th century, mostly by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur.[7][5]
It was only when the founder of the
The last major change to Fez's topography before the 20th century was made during the reign of Moulay Hasan I (1873-1894), who finally connected Fes el-Jdid and Fes el-Bali by building a walled corridor between them.[5][7] Within this new corridor, between the two cities, were built new gardens and summer palaces used by the royals and the capital's high society, such as the Jnan Sbil Gardens and the Dar Batha palace.[5][14]
In 1912
Today Fes el-Bali and the larger historic medina is a major tourism destination due to its historical heritage. In recent years efforts have been underway to restore and rehabilitate its historic fabric, ranging from restorations of individual monuments to attempts to rehabilitate the Fez River.[19][20][21][22]
Geography and layout
Urban structure
The city is located along both sides of the Fez River (also known as the Oued Bou Khrareb). Although parts of the wall and some of its historic gates have disappeared, Fes el-Bali is still mostly enclosed by a long and winding circuit of defensive walls. These were entered via a number of gates, the most important of which were Bab Mahrouk (though the nearby Bab Bou Jeloud is more famous today), Bab Guissa, and Bab Ftouh.[5][7] At the western end of the city were two historic kasbahs (fortified enclosures) attached to the city: the Kasbah an-Nouar, which still exists today on the northern side of Place Bou Jeloud, and the Kasbah Bou Jeloud, whose walls have since disappeared but which stood directly southwest of the current Bab Bou Jeloud gate. The Kasbah Bou Jeloud was historically the governor's residence and the seat of government control. The Almohad-built Bou Jeloud Mosque still stands there today, one of the only remnants of the original enclosure.[23][5]
As in many medieval Islamic cities, the main
Fes el-Bali is also notable for being a large car-free urban area (approximately 300 hectares), due to the well-preserved urban fabric of traditional narrow streets and alleys unsuitable for cars. Only one major road penetrates the medina from the south, following the course of the river, and reaching Place R'cif near the center of the city, which allows access for public transportation and emergency vehicles.[25][26]
Districts and neighbourhoods
The city is broadly divided between two quarters, on opposite shores of the Fez River: the Qarawiyyin Quarter or 'Adwat al-Qarawiyyin (on the western shore) and the Andalusian Quarter or 'Adwat al-Andalus (on the eastern shore). These are further divided into smaller historic neighbourhoods or districts. In the early 20th century, French historian Roger Le Tourneau recorded that the city was divided administratively into the 18 neighbourhoods listed below. Le Tourneau noted that the Salwat el-Anfas, a 14th-century chronicle, lists a very similar division of neighbourhoods, even if the borders and names have changed slightly. The name 'Adwat on its own is also used in some sources to refer to the whole eastern shore of the city (the Andalusian Quarter).[5]: 118–120
Qarawiyyin Quarter:
- at-Tala'a ("the Slope/Climb")
- el-'Uyun ("the Sources")
- el-Qalqliyin
- Ras Jnan ("Beginning of the Gardens")
- el-Gerniz ("the Thistle")
- el-Kettanin ("the Textile Merchants")
- Swikat Ben Safi ("the Small Souk of Ibn Safi")
- esh-Shrabliyin ("the Slipper Merchants")
- Zqaq er-Romman ("the Street of the Pomegranate")
- Funduq el-Yihudi ("the Warehouse/Inn of the Jew")
- el-Blida ("the Small City")
- es-Sagha ("the Moneychangers")
Andalusian Quarter:
- el-Mokhfiya ("the Hidden")
- Sidi el-Awwad ("Sir Wheelwright") & el-Kowas ("the Vaults")
- el-Keddan ("the Tuff")
- el-Gzira ("the Island")
- el-Fekharin ("the Potters")
- Oued ez-Zitoun ("the River of the Olives")
Both the el-Fekharin and Oued ez-Zitoun areas, which occupy the entire eastern region of the Andalusian Quarter beyond the
The name Funduq el-Yihudi ("the Warehouse/Inn of the Jew") reflects the fact that, before the creation of the Mellah in Fes el-Jdid, the Jewish community had been concentrated in this neighbourhood since the time of Idris II (early 9th century).[27][28][12] (Although Jews had also lived and worked in many other parts of the city during this period.[27]) The city's original Jewish cemetery was also located near here, just outside the nearby gate of Bab Guissa.[12]
Threats and conservation
According to the UNESCO there are two main threats to this World Heritage Site:
- An ever-increasing population in an already dangerously overpopulated area and the uncontrolled urban development which is a result of that.[1]
- The deterioration of the buildings [1]
Because of the vulnerability of the site the government has adopted a special plan to care for this World Heritage Site and every building and monument it contains.[1] The aim is to prevent houses from collapsing, increase sustainable tourism and to safeguard everything.
Since 1989 a quasi-governmental agency known as ADER-Fès (Association pour la dédensification et réhabilitation de Fès-Médina) has been charged with restoring much of the medina and safeguarding its heritage.[29][30] In recent years efforts have been underway to restore more of the old medina, ranging from the restoration of dozens of individual monuments to attempts to rehabilitate the Fez River.[31][32][21][33]
Place Lalla Yeddouna at the heart of the Medina has been recently undergoing reconstruction and preservation measures following a design competition sponsored by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (Washington D.C.)[34] and the Government of the Morocco. The construction projects scheduled for completion in 2016 encompass historic preservation of particular buildings, construction of new buildings that fit into the existing urban fabric and regeneration of the riverfront. The intention is to not only preserve the quality and characteristics of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but to encourage the development of the area as a sustainable, mixed-use area for artisanal industries and local residents.
Landmarks
The following are some of the major historic monuments and landmarks in Fes el-Bali.[12][35][7]
Mosques and zawiyas
- Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque-University
- Mosque of the Andalusians
- Zawiya of Moulay Idris II
- Zawiya of Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani
- Chrabliyine Mosque
- Bab Guissa Mosque
- Bou Jeloud Mosque
- R'Cif Mosque
- Abu al-Hassan Mosque
- Diwan Mosque
Madrasas
- Bou Inania Madrasa
- Madrasa al-Attarine
- Madrasa as-Sahrij
- Madrasa Cherratine
- Madrasa as-Seffarine
- Mesbahiyya Madrasa
Palaces and historic houses
- Dar Batha (Batha Museum)
- Dar Mnebhi
- Dar Moqri
- Dar Glaoui
- Dar Jamaï
- Dar Adiyel
Funduqs (traditional inns)
- Funduq al-Najjarin (Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts)
- Funduq Staouniyyin(also known as "Foundouk Tetouaniyine")
- Funduq Shamma'in (also spelled "Foundouk Chemmaïne")
- Funduq Sagha
- Funduq Kettanin
Tanneries
Gates and fortifications
- Historic city walls
- Bab Bou Jeloud (gate)
- Bab Mahrouk (gate)
- Bab Ftouh (gate)
- Bab Guissa (gate)
- Borj Nord (fort; also Museum of Arms)
- Borj Sud (fort)
- Kasbah an-Nouar (walled district) and Bab Chorfa (gate)
Other historic landmarks
- Marinid Tombs
- Mausoleum of Sidi Harazem)
- Tala'a Kebira (street)
- Kissariat al-Kifah (bazaar)
- Dar al-Magana
References
- ^ a b c d e Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Medina of Fez". whc.unesco.org.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Medina of Fez". whc.unesco.org.
- ^ a b "History of Fes". www.macalester.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ "Oldest higher-learning institution, oldest university". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman. Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.
- ^ Terrasse, Henri (1942). La mosquée des Andalous à Fès. Paris: Les Éditions d'art et d'histoire.
- ^ ISBN 978-2867701528.
- ISBN 9781907065071.
- ^ a b "Fes, Morocco, Time Line of Morocco History, Morocco Weather Information; Latitude 34 North - Cities". www.lat34north.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ Kubisch, Natascha (2011). "Maghreb - Architecture" in Hattstein, Markus and Delius, Peter (eds.) Islam: Art and Architecture. h.f.ullmann. p. 312.
- ^ Marçais, Georges (1954). L'architecture musulmane d'Occident. Paris: Arts et métiers graphiques.
- ^ ISBN 978-3902782311.
- ^ Terrasse, Henri (1968). La Mosquée al-Qaraouiyin à Fès; avec une étude de Gaston Deverdun sur les inscriptions historiques de la mosquée. Paris: Librairie C. Klincksieck.
- ISBN 978-2343090221.
- ^ S2CID 145686603.
- ^ Holden, Stacy E. (2008). "The Legacy of French Colonialism: Preservation in Morocco's Fez Medina". APT Bulletin: The Journal of Preservation Technology. 39 (4): 5–11.
- ^ a b Jelidi, Charlotte (2012). Fès, la fabrication d'une ville nouvelle (1912-1956). ENS Éditions.
- ^ Aouchar, Amina (2005). Fès, Meknès. Flammarion. pp. 192–194.
- ^ "La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès" (in French). Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- ^ "Facelift helps Morocco's Old City of Fez lure tourists |". AW. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- ^ a b "Revitalization of the Fez River: A Reclaimed Public Space | Smart Cities Dive". www.smartcitiesdive.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ "Aziza Chaouni presents a 2014 TED Talk on her efforts to uncover the Fez River in Morocco". Daniels. 2014-03-20. Archived from the original on 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ Terrasse, Henri (1964). "La mosquée almohade de Bou Jeloud à Fès". Al-Andalus. 29 (2): 355–363.
- ^ a b Raftani, Kamal; Radoine, Hassan (2008). "The Architecture of the Hammams of Fez, Morocco". Archnet-IJAR. 2 (3): 56–68.
- ^ "Carfree Cities: Morocco". www.carfree.com. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- .
- ^ ISBN 9782350314907.
- ^ Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat : étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman. Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.
- S2CID 144062345.
- ISBN 9782869063174.
- ^ "La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès" (in French). Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- ^ "Facelift helps Morocco's Old City of Fez lure tourists |". AW. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- ^ "Aziza Chaouni presents a 2014 TED Talk on her efforts to uncover the Fez River in Morocco". Daniels. 2014-03-20. Archived from the original on 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ "Morocco Compact - Millennium Challenge Corporation". Mcc.gov. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ Parker, Richard (1981). A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco. Charlottesville, VA: The Baraka Press.