Fes Morocco : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Fes

Official name

Fes

Native name

ⴼⴰⵙ/فاس

Other name

فاس Fās

Country

Morocco

Region

Fès-Boulemane

Founded

789

Idrisid dynasty

Government

Mayor

Hamid Chabat

Governor

Mohamed Rerrhabi

Geography

Elevation

1258.9 ft (383.7 m)

Demography

Total Population

944376 (2004)

Home | City | Fes Morocco

Fes or Fez ( Fās, Tifinagh: ⴼⴰⵙ) is the second largest city of Morocco, following Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million (2010). It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region.

Fes, the former capital, is one of the country's four "imperial cities," the others being Rabat, Marrakech and Meknes. It comprises three distinct parts, Fes el Bali (the old, walled city), Fes-Jdid (new Fes, home of the Mellah) and the Ville Nouvelle (the French-created, newest section of Fes).

Fes el Bali is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its medina, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is believed to be the world's largest contiguous car-free urban area. The University of Al-Karaouine, founded in AD 859, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the world. It has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens of Africa".