Few cities in the world have been so successful in preserving their traditions. Fez, in Morocco, is one of them, the intellectual and spiritual “capital” of a country where thousands of artisans ply their trade in the bustling medina.

Located in the north of the country between the massifs of the Middle Atlas and the Rif, Fez prides itself on an immensely rich history that still imbues the city with an atmosphere like no other. A popular destination for centuries for intellectuals, academics, men of religion and teachers, this cultural elite has left behind a fabulous legacy of mosques, medersas (Koranic schools), palaces and museums. An important Islamic centre, Fez is also famous for its craftsmanship, a teeming world of busy hands working in areas specific to each craft, where bargain hunters will find some marvellous things to buy.

Divided into three main areas, most of the city’s riches are concentrated in Fez el Bali, the old medina. Venturing deliberately into the maze of narrow streets beyond the babs (gates) that guard its entrance, visitors will find the Bou Inania medersa, the Dar Bartha Museum with its collections of popular art, the El Karaouiyine mosque, several beautiful little squares with fountains, the foundouks (old commercial buildings) and the intoxicating bustle of the souks. Alongside the jewellers, perfume shops, potters, bookbinders and tinware merchants are the souks of the tanners and dyers, their open-air vats filled with natural colours, and the fabric shops, recalling the extent to which Fez remains a city with a mediaeval atmosphere where time seems simply to have stood still.