Medina in Fez, Morocco

Fez is the oldest Moroccan Muslim city. Its heart is the early Medieval medina, a maze of narrow streets, alleys and squares where thousands of people live and thousands of shops and workshops operate, as well as the famous Chouwara tannery (pictured).

The period of splendor of the city fell in the XIII-XIV century, during the reign of the Marin dynasty, when Fez replaced Marrakech as the capital of the kingdom. From this period comes the urban tissue and the main monuments of the oldest part of the city - the medina: medres, funds (caravanseraje), palaces, residences, mosques and fountains. In 1912, when the capital was moved to Rabat, Fez retained the status of the cultural and spiritual capital of the country.

In Fez there is the oldest university in the world.