6 Best Sights in Fez el-Djedid, Fez and the Middle Atlas

Gardens play an important role in Moroccan culture, and this gorgeous green space just outside the medina walls is one of the oldest in Fez. Once part of the Royal Palace, it was donated to the city in the 19th century by Sultan Moulay Hassan. A stroll around the shady pathways of this well-restored garden, with time to admire its many towering palms, rose bushes, lakes, and fountains, is the perfect escape from the medina’s hubbub.

Named after the seven brothers of Moulay Abdellah, who reigned during the 18th century, the Bab es Seba (also known as Bab Dekkakin) connects two open spaces originally designed for military parades and royal ceremonies, the Petit Méchouar and Vieux Méchouar. It was from this gate that the corpse of Prince Ferdinand, brother of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, was hanged head-down for four days in 1443 after being captured during a failed invasion of Tangier.

Fez's Royal Palace and gardens are closed to the public, but even from the outside they're an impressive sight; inside are various palaces, 200 acres of gardens, and parade grounds, as well as a medersa founded in 1320. From Place des Alaouites, take a close look at the door's giant brass knockers, made by artisans from Fez el-Bali, as well as the imposing brass doors themselves.  The street running along the palace's southeast side is Rue Bou Ksissat, one side of which is lined with typically ornate residential facades from the Mellah's edge.  Security in this area is high and should be respected. Guards watch visitors carefully.

Known for its characteristically ornate balconies and forged-iron windows, the Mellah was created in the 15th century when the Jews, forced out of the medina in one of Morocco's recurrent pogroms, were removed from their previous ghetto near Bab Guissa and set up as royal financial consultants and buffers between the Merenid rulers and the people. Fez's Jewish community suffered repressive measures until the beginning of the French protectorate in 1912. Faced with an uncertain future after Morocco gained independence in 1956, nearly all of Fez's Jews migrated to Casablanca, Israel, and the United States.

Some highlights of this historic district include the vertically green-striped Moulay Abdellah Mosque and the Great Mosque Abu Haq, built in 1276. The neighborhood was designed by the Merenids as a government seat and a stronghold against their subjects, but the area lost its purpose when Rabat became the Moroccan capital under the French protectorate in 1912. Subsequently filled with brothels and dance halls, the quarter was closed to foreigners for years.

Built in the 17th century, this is the one of the oldest synagogues in the region and one of the few that remain in the Mellah. It is rarely used as a synagogue today, but its rich cedarwood benches and beams, tiled floors, and brass chandeliers have been restored to their former splendor. The guardian can show you its most important features, including the original gazelle-skin Torah scrolls and the subterranean mikvah (ritual bath).