Fes el-Jdid

When the Marinids took Fes in the thirteenth century they did not move into the existing city; in 1276 they built a separate walled town beside it - Fes el-Jdid, the new Fes - for the palace, the administration, the garrison and the mint, which is a pattern repeated across Islamic North Africa when a new dynasty wanted distance from an existing population. It holds the Dar el-Makhzen, the royal palace, still in use and closed, with its famous brass doors on the Place des Alaouites; the mellah, the Jewish quarter established here in the fifteenth century when the community was moved from the old medina, with its distinctive balconied houses facing the street rather than inward; the Ibn Danan synagogue; and the Grande Rue running through it. It is far less visited than Fes el-Bali and is a good deal easier to navigate, being laid out on a plan rather than grown.

History

The Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub founded Fes el-Jdid in 1276 as a new royal citadel and seat of government beside the old city, with the royal palace, barracks and homes, built so fast that the court moved in about a year later; its first name was Madinat al-Bayda, the White City. Two lines of walls enclosed it, the Old Mechouar was first a fortified bridge over the Fes River between two gates, the main street ran from there to the southern gate, and the Grand Mosque was built beside the palace around 1276; since 1981 Fes el-Jdid has been part of the Medina of Fez World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Fes Jdid).

What to look for

• A planned new town of 1276 - built beside the old city for palace and administration.
• The palace doors - brass and tilework on the Place des Alaouites, the palace itself closed.
• The mellah - a fifteenth-century Jewish quarter with balconies facing the street.
• A legible layout - planned streets rather than the organic maze of Fes el-Bali.

When to go

October to April. Half a day, walking between the two medinas.

What to expect

The royal palace cannot be entered - only the doors are seen. The mellah is much diminished and largely occupied by other residents now. Parts of the quarter are run-down. It is quieter than Fes el-Bali but has fewer set-piece monuments.

Nearby

Fes el-Bali is east; the Merinid tombs look down from the north.

Key facts