Medina of Fez: The University of al-Qarawiyyin Has Been Teaching Here Since 859 CE

The University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in Fes el-Bali in 859 CE by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri, is considered by UNESCO and the Guinness World Records to be the oldest continuously operating university in the world. The claim is contested – what counts as a “university” is definitional – but the institution has been teaching Islamic law, grammar, and rhetoric without interruption for over 1,100 years regardless. It is not open to non-Muslims. Knowing it exists as you walk the streets around the Karaouine mosque gives the neighbourhood a different weight.

Fes el-Bali is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world and has been continuously inhabited since the 9th century. The street plan is medieval: thousands of alleys, some barely a shoulder’s width, connecting residential quarters, souks, mosques, madrasas, and working craftsmen. Getting lost is guaranteed on the first day. It is also how the medina works; the logic of the space only becomes readable through repeated disorientation.

Key Sites

The Bou Inania Madrasa on Tala’a Kebira street is a 14th-century Quran school with a tiled courtyard representing some of the finest Marinid architectural decoration in Morocco. The carved stucco above the tilework and the cedarwood screens above that form layered zones of intricate detail. Entry is 20 MAD. Allow 30 minutes.

Al-Attarine Madrasa, adjacent to the Karaouine mosque, has a similarly ornate courtyard with the added interest of its position at the commercial and religious heart of the medina.

The Chouara Tannery is typically viewed from the upper floors of leather shops along the surrounding streets. The shop owners hand out sprigs of fresh mint to hold against the ammonia smell, which is real and practical rather than theatrical. The tannery dyes hides in circular stone vats using natural pigments; the process is unchanged in its essentials from medieval practice. No entry charge for the tannery itself. Looking from multiple vantage points gives a better picture than any single terrace.

The Karaouine Mosque is not accessible to non-Muslims, but views through open doorways reveal the interior architecture. The mosque complex includes the university library, considered one of the oldest manuscript collections in the world.

Eating

Street food is better than most sit-down restaurants for genuine Fasi cooking. Bissara (thick fava bean soup) is sold from carts near Bab Boujloud in the mornings for 5 to 8 MAD a bowl. Mechoui (slow-roasted lamb) sold by weight in the Rcif area runs 100 to 150 MAD per portion, which is a lot of food at an honest price. Clock Cafe on Derb el-Magana serves Moroccan and international dishes with a rooftop view for 80 to 130 MAD per main – reliable for visitors who want a sit-down meal without tourist pricing.

Staying

Riads are the correct accommodation choice. Prices range from 300 to 1,500 MAD per night depending on quality. Location within the medina matters considerably: staying near Bab Boujloud gives easy orientation but the area is busier and more tourist-facing. The Andalusian quarter in the east is quieter and more atmospheric once you know your way around.

Getting There

Fez airport has direct flights from several European cities including Paris, Madrid, and Brussels. Trains connect Fez to Casablanca (about 3 hours) and Marrakech (about 7 hours). The train station is in the Ville Nouvelle, about 3 kilometres from the medina by petit taxi.

A guide for the first day is worth the cost. The medina is genuinely difficult to navigate without a mental map, and a good guide covers the key sites efficiently. Negotiate the rate and be explicit about what you do and do not want to see; some guides receive shop commissions and will engineer extended shopping stops accordingly.