Medina of Fez

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The Medina of Fez: A Cultural and Spiritual Center of Morocco

The Medina of Fez, located in the heart of the ancient city of Fez, Morocco, stands as a testament to the rich history and cultural heritage of the region. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, the Medina of Fez is a living example of medieval Islamic architecture and urban planning that dates back to the 9th century.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Founded in the 9th century, Fez reached its height in the 13th–14th centuries under the Marinids, when it replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the kingdom. The urban fabric and the principal monuments in the medina – madrasas, fondouks, palaces, residences, mosques and fountains - date from this period. Although the political capital of Morocco was transferred to Rabat in 1912, Fez has retained its status as the country's cultural and spiritual centre.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ii): The Medina of Fez bears a living witness to a flourishing city of the eastern Mediterranean having exercised considerable influence mainly from the 12th to the 15th centuries, on the development of architecture, monumental arts and town-planning, notably in North Africa, Andalousia and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fez Jedid (the new town), was inspired from the earlier town-planning model of Marrakesh.

Criterion (v): The Medina of Fez constitutes an outstanding example of a medieval town created during the very first centuries of Islamisation of Morocco and presenting an original type of human settlement and traditional occupation of the land representative of Moroccan urban culture over a long historical period (from the 9th to the beginning of the 20th centuries). The ancient fragmented district of the medina with its high density of monuments of religious, civil and military character, are outstanding examples of this culture and the resulting interaction with the diverse stratas of the population that have influenced the wide variety of architectural forms and urban landscapes.

Encyclopedia Record: Fes el Bali

Fes el Bali is the oldest part of Fez, Morocco. It is one of the three main districts of Fez, along with Fes Jdid and the French-created Ville Nouvelle. Together with Fes Jdid, it forms the medina of Fez, significant for the preservation of its pre-modern urban layout and numerous historic monuments, which have earned it UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

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