Taza Medina

The Taza gap is the only easy route between the Rif and the Middle Atlas, and therefore between eastern Morocco and the Atlantic plains - so whoever wanted to take Fes came through here first, and the Almohads, Marinids and others each fortified it. The medina sits on a bluff above the modern town with a walled circuit of about three kilometres, largely Almohad in origin, and inside it a great mosque founded after 1142 that is one of the oldest Almohad buildings in Morocco, with a bronze chandelier of the Marinid period weighing about three tonnes; non-Muslims cannot enter. Also inside are a Marinid madrasa, the Bab er-Rih gate with a view over the corridor in both directions, and a bastion. Taza is not on the visitor circuit and the medina is quiet and residential, with restoration work in progress in parts.

History

The Great Mosque was built on the orders of the Almohad sultan Abd al-Mu'min in the years after 1142, around when he took the city. Its bronze chandelier of the Marinid era, about 2.5 metres across and weighing 3 tons, is the largest surviving example of its kind in North Africa (Wikipedia, Great Mosque of Taza).

The main sights

• A strategic corridor - the only easy route between the Rif and the Atlas.
• Three kilometres of walls - a largely Almohad circuit round the hilltop town.
• A 12th-century great mosque - among the oldest Almohad buildings, closed to non-Muslims.
• Bab er-Rih - a gate with the view along the corridor in both directions.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Half a day, combined with Tazekka park.

Good to know

The great mosque is closed to non-Muslims. The medina is residential with little visitor infrastructure. Parts are under restoration and fenced. The climb from the new town is steep - take a taxi up.

Nearby

Tazekka National Park and the Friouato cave are south.

Key facts