باب الخوخة

Bab Khokha

Bab Khokha is the name of a historic gate on the eastern side of Fes el-Bali, about 550 metres north of Bab Ftouh. Its date and history are disputed. Today the name survives in the neighbourhood and in Avenue Bab Khoukha.

Plan a day from this gate Read its story

Named for a wicket door; its history is disputed, its name lives on.Plan a day from this gate

Fes el-Bali, eastern side on the Andalusian bank, north of Bab Ftouh
Also written Bab Khoukha, Bab el-Khoukha, Bab Knisa

Drawn, not photographed: we show no photo we can’t confirm is this gate.

The story of Bab Khokha

The historical survey of the walls on English Wikipedia says the gate was also called Bab Knisa, "Gate of the Church". It says the gate had disappeared by the 16th century, leaving its name as a place name. en.wikipedia.org (source, opens in a new tab)

Arabic Wikipedia gives a different account. It says Idris built an eastern gate here, known as Bab al-Kanisa, on the road to Tlemcen. Abd al-Mu'min pulled it down, and the Almohad caliph al-Nasir rebuilt it in 601 AH (1204–05) and named it Bab al-Khokha. ar.wikipedia.org (source, opens in a new tab)

Khokha means a small wicket door set inside a large gate, so people could pass without opening the main doors. It is not the word for the peach fruit. lavieeco.com (source, opens in a new tab)

Where Bab Khokha is

Pinned on OpenStreetMap, with the walks from the gate to the places nearest it. Each one links to its own guide.

Bab Khokha is a gate in the walls. These are the places closest to it, with the walk to each one through the lanes:

Close by

Plan a day from this gate

Suggestions to start from: each day can begin at Bab Khokha or take in the places around it. Private or small-group, with a guide who lives here, and quoted for your dates.

Green-tiled roofs of the Kissaria and Souk al-Attarine, the Moulay Idris II minaret beyond

Half day from FesFes Spiritual & Andalusian QuarterA half-day on the quieter east bank of the medina — the Andalusian quarter founded by refugees from Córdoba, its great mosque, the zawiyas and the spiritual heart of Fes.See how the day runs

Questions about Bab Khokha

What people ask us before they walk through it.

Does Bab Khokha still exist?

Sources disagree. One survey of the walls says the old gate had gone by the 16th century. Today Bab Khokha is used as the name of the area and of Avenue Bab Khoukha on the east side of the medina.

What does Khokha mean?

A small wicket door set into a large gate, used so people could pass without opening the main doors.

Where is Bab Khokha?

On the eastern edge of Fes el-Bali, about 550 metres north of Bab Ftouh, on the Andalusian side of the river.

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