Royal Palace of Fes

The Dar el-Makhzen at Fes covers something in the order of eighty hectares behind its walls - palaces, courtyards, gardens, a madrasa and a mosque, built up from the Marinid period onward - and none of it is open, because it remains a working royal residence. What the public sees is the frontage on the Place des Alaouites: seven doors of cast and engraved brass, kept polished, set in frames of zellige mosaic under carved cedar canopies and horseshoe arches, restored in the twentieth century and maintained since. They are a set piece of contemporary Moroccan craft rather than a medieval survival, and they are photographed constantly. The square in front is open and there is no restriction on looking, but photographing the guards is not appreciated. The mellah begins immediately beside the square and the Grande Rue of Fes el-Jdid runs from it.

History

The Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub founded the palace in 1276 together with Fes el-Jdid, the new fortified royal city beside the old one, as the seat of Marinid government, and the Grand Mosque of Fes el-Jdid, founded the same year, was joined to it by a private passage. Terraced gardens with pavilions, the Agdal, lay to the west, probably where the Lalla Mina Gardens are today, and after Abu Yusuf died in 1286 his son Abu Ya'qub Yusuf laid out the great Mosara Garden to the north in 1287, watered by a huge noria near Bab Dekkakin. Most of today's palace dates from the Alaouite era, from the 17th to the 20th century, and its richly decorated gates on the Place des Alaouites are 20th-century work (Wikipedia, Royal Palace of Fez).

What to look for

• Seven brass doors - cast and engraved, kept polished, framed in zellige and cedar.
• Eighty hectares closed - a working royal residence with nothing open to visitors.
• Twentieth-century craft - restored and maintained work rather than a medieval survival.
• An open square - free to look from, though not to photograph the guards.

When to go

October to April; morning light on the brass. Half an hour.

Practical notes

The palace itself cannot be entered under any circumstances. Photographing guards or security is not permitted. The square is busy with traffic. Guides offering palace access are offering something that does not exist.

Nearby

The mellah and the Ibn Danan synagogue are beside the square.

Key facts