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90 Hotels in Fes
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Hotels in Fes
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History of Fes, Morocco
Fes was founded in AD 789 by Idriss I who was the founder of the first imperial dynasty of Morocco. Idriss I had great plans to build a grand imperial city but died before his dream was realised. He was succeeded by his son, Idriss II, who finished the grand task his father had begun.
Originally Fes was a Berber stronghold but the city soon became home to Arabs fleeing rebellion in Andalus and Tunisia who brought a distinctive Arabic flavour to certain areas of the city. These early days of Fes’ history saw the city benefit from peace and prosperity until the 10th century. The following few centuries in the history of Fes were more difficult with famine and civil war taking their toll on the city. Around 1154, the Dynasty crumbled and fell from power. As they fled Fes, the city walls were destroyed. They were replaced by the Almohhad Dynasty who took control of the city. Fes became an important centre of learning with both the established University (the world’s first) and the Kairouine Mosque being highly important centres of learning within the Empire.
The city regained its importance on the political map when the Merenid dynasty rose to power in the early 1200’s. The Merenids left a large architectural footprint on the city which is most evident in Fes el Jdid. During the 19th century, Fes acted as the country’s capital for a time and in 1912, a treaty introducing the French and Spanish protectives over Morocco was signed in Fes. Although the capital was eventually moved to Rabat by the French, Fes has always been a politically minded city and has often been at the forefront of political unrest in Morocco.
Today, Fes is regarded highly within Morocco. It’s one of the country’s most traditional cities with strong intellectual, religious, artistic, and cultural importance. It’s also becoming increasingly popular with tourists. The introduction of budget airlines from Europe has helped to increase the number of visitors to the city. There’s an argument that this could be detrimental to the magic of the city as a large increase in tourism could see Fes go the way of Marrakech where tourism has impacted on the traditional values of parts of the city. The name ‘Fes’ (Or Fez) is believed to have derived from the Arabic word for Axe. The story behind the name alludes to a golden axe which was supposedly unearthed when the city was being built.
