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Bou Inania Medersa
45m · Admission ticket not included
Also known as the Merinid Medersa, it was built between 1350 and 1357 under the auspices of Sultan Abou Inan and is the largest Medersa in Fez. Its sculpted plasterwork, cedar woodwork (now faded), bronze, marble and onyx ornamentation and windows often capped with mukarna are all typical of Merinid architecture. The walls of the interior patio are adorned with zellij topped by stuccowork and a canopy of green tiles. The prayer room is notable for its superb old stained glass windows and magnificent minbar. Now in use as a mosque, the medersa is one of the few religious buildings in
Morocco open to non-Muslims.
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La Belle Vue de la Tannerie
45m
Bordering the Fez River, which provides the water necessary for treatment of skins, the Chouara tanneries are a rainbow of vivid colours. From the terraces of the surrounding houses, you get a bird’s eye view of the series of tanks of red and brown dyes and of multitudes of skins drying in the sun.
Wool, animal hides and wax are exported in great quantity to Europe; but the finest skins stay in Fez where they are fashioned by skilled workers into belghas (a type of slipper), cushions, belts, and other luxury items sold throughout Morocco.
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Fontaine Nejjarine
30m
The square takes its name from the cabinetmakers’ souk hidden away behind a wooden door in an alleyway below. Its fountain is of an unusual splendour and at its far end stands the Fondouk En-Nejjarine with its richly decorated façade, probably built in the 17th century and recently converted into a museum (optional visit & mint tea degustation – photo on ).
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Medina of Fez
2h
The Fez medina has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. This means ongoing efforts are being made to preserve it in its present state and to encourage a return to some of its former uses, such as residential. We went from one end of the medina to the other, but we barely scratched the surface. The Fez medina is Morocco's largest, some 2,700 acres. The medina is closed to motorized traffic, so donkey carts are widely used to ferry goods around. This means you must watch where you walk. It's best to take a guide along as its easy to get lost in such a big marketplace.
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Meknes
1h
After breakfast, departure to chefchaouen via Meknes, sightseeing tour of Meknes, the “Moroccan Versailles" which was founded at the end of the 17th century by Moulay Ismail, a contemporary of Louis XIV. Additional sightseeing includes Bab El Mansour, considered as the finest gateway in Morocco
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Volubilis
2h · Admission ticket not included
Volubilis is a nearby Roman settlement that has slumbered in the Moroccan countryside for over 2,000 years. Dating back to pre-Roman times Volubilis was a thriving city, complete with a forum, a capitol, basilica, triumphal arch, oil presses and spas. Settled on what was probably a Carthaginian city date from the third century B.C., Volubilis was a central administrative city for this part of Roman Africa.
However, the city was not abandoned after the Romans lost their eminence in the region, and even the Latin language survived for centuries before the Arabs conquered North Africa in the late 7th century, and people continued to live in Volubilis for a further 1,000 years.
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Hassan Tower
2h
Continuation to Rabat, visit Hassan's Tower & The Mohammed V mausoleum The Hassan Tower, the minaret of the great mosque, was the idea of Yacoub el Mansour and at 144 feet (44m) was never completed. He intended it to reach 280 feet (86m) which would have made it the highest mosque in the Muslim world. Two hundred columns mark out where it was to stand, reflecting the glory of the Almohad empire which, in the 12th century, stretched as far as Tunisia and Moorish Spain.
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Chellah
1h · Admission ticket not included
Optional visit of the kasbah Chellah, his is the most beautiful of Moroccan ruins built in the 14th century by the Merenids. It stands on the site of the old Roman city of Sala and today houses the best archaeological museum in Morocco.
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Casablanca
2h
Casablanca is remarkable for its number of Art Deco buildings and villas, vestiges of the French protectorate and for its administrative centre, Place Mohammed V. Designed in 1920, this superb square includes much architecture in the neo-Moorish style favoured by the Protectorate: the Prefecture, Law Courts and Post Office. The nearby Ligue Arabe Park, Casablanca’s largest green space, is perfect for visitors wishing to escape the incessant bustle of the streets.
You will go through the wide avenues and long stripes. Later walk through the narrow streets of the Medina. The tour also features visits : the United Nations Square, the Court House, the Medina, various souks, the central market, Habous district and Corniche Boulevard of Ain Diab, and of course: the Hassan II mosque (not opened for tourists on fridays – free entrance for muslims).
