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 in 1135 that is one of the oldest Almohad buildings in Morocco, with a bronze chandelier of the Marinid period said to weigh over five hundred kilograms; 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.

What you actually see

• 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 1135 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.

Honest expectations

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.