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The marble courtyard of the Bou Inania madrasa, its carved facade and fountain basin

Bou Inania Madrasa, Fes · Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0

The madrasas and mosques of Fes el-Bali

Carved cedar, stucco and zellige in the Marinid colleges, and the doorways of the Qarawiyyin: a morning through the religious heart of Fes el-Bali with a licensed guide, from Bou Inania to the Saffarin of 1271, half a century older than the Attarine.

Plan a madrasa morningSee the walk on the map
  • Private or small-group
  • Licensed Fassi guide
  • Dates and sources on the page

The walk, stop by stop

1.4 km on foot, about 21 minutes of walking between 6 stops, along the OpenStreetMap foot route. Half day, morning, at your pace.

123456باب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudمدرسة الصفارينSaffarin madrasaالمدرسة البوعنانيةBou Inania madrasaباب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudضريح المولى إدريس الثانيZawiya of Moulay Idris IIالمدرسة البوعنانيةBou Inania madrasaمدرسة العطارينAttarine madrasaضريح المولى إدريس الثانيZawiya of Moulay Idris IIجامع القرويينThe Qarawiyyinمدرسة العطارينAttarine madrasaمدرسة الصفارينSaffarin madrasaجامع القرويينThe Qarawiyyinباب أبي الجنودBab Boujloudالمدرسة البوعنانيةBou Inania madrasaضريح المولى إدريس الثانيZawiya of Moulay Idris IIمدرسة العطارينAttarine madrasaجامع القرويينThe Qarawiyyinمدرسة الصفارينSaffarin madrasa

  1. Where the walk begins

    Where we meet, 1913

    Bab Boujloud باب أبي الجنود

    The tiled gate at the western end of Fes el-Bali: blue on its outer face, green on its inner face. Through the main arch you see the minarets of the Bou Inania madrasa and the Sidi Lazzaz mosque. Your guide meets you here, or at your riad door.

    More about Bab Boujloud

  2. 2 min on foot from Bab Boujloud, 140 m

    Marinid, 1350 to 1355

    Bou Inania madrasa المدرسة البوعنانية

    Built for the Marinid sultan Abu Inan Faris between 1350 and 1355, and one of the only Moroccan madrasas with a prominent minaret. It was the only madrasa in Morocco that also served as a congregational mosque, and its prayer hall is off-limits to non-Muslim visitors. Nearby is the Dar al-Magana, with a famous hydraulic clock on its facade that no longer works.

    More about Bou Inania madrasa

  3. 14 min on foot from Bou Inania madrasa, 900 m

    Rebuilt 1717 to 1720

    Zawiya of Moulay Idris II ضريح المولى إدريس الثاني

    The shrine holds the tomb of Idris II, who ruled from 807 to 828. Sultan Moulay Ismail had it rebuilt between 1717 and 1720, including its minaret. Non-Muslims cannot enter the building, but can walk up to its doors and around it.

    More about Zawiya of Moulay Idris II

  4. 2 min on foot from Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, 130 m

    Marinid, 1323 to 1325

    Attarine madrasa مدرسة العطارين

    Built by the Marinid sultan Uthman II Abu Said between 1323 and 1325, near the Qarawiyyin. It takes its name from the Souk al-Attarine, the spice and perfume market.

    More about Attarine madrasa

  5. 1 min on foot from Attarine madrasa, 20 m

    Founded 857 or 859

    The Qarawiyyin جامع القرويين

    By tradition founded as a mosque in 857 or 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, though some modern historians question that account. We see it from its doorways and from the streets round it; your guide explains what lies inside.

    More about the Qarawiyyin

  6. 3 min on foot from the Qarawiyyin, 190 m

    Marinid, 1271

    Saffarin madrasa مدرسة الصفارين

    Its entrance is on Place Seffarine. It was built in 1271 by the Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub, half a century before the Attarine.

Why walk it with a guide

Private or small-group, planned around your date and your questions.

  • Read the walls

    The inscriptions, the carved cedar, the zellige: your guide shows you what each band of decoration is and what the words say.

  • Short walks, long looks

    The whole route is under 1.5 km. Most of the morning is spent standing still in courtyards, which is how these buildings are meant to be seen.

  • Respectful by design

    We go where visitors are welcome and look in where they are not. Your guide knows the difference at every door.

Plan a madrasa morning

A person writes back with a plan and a quote. No prices online, no obligation.

Cut-tile zellige below a carved calligraphy band and stucco on a pillar of the Al-Attarine madrasa

Cedar, plaster and tile, carved so finely the walls look woven.

Al-Attarine Madrasa, Fes

What we checked

Every date on this page, and where it comes from. Opening days and hours change, so we confirm them for your date.

More walks in the medina

Each one on its own OpenStreetMap route, each planned for you.

The tall Bou Inania minaret above the green-tiled roofs of Fes el BaliGuideBou Inania madrasaOur guide to the madrasa by Bab Boujloud.Read the guideA carved stucco arch and wall panels inside the Al-Attarine madrasaGuideThe Attarine madrasaOur guide to the madrasa by the spice souk.Read the guideBab Mahrouk, a crenellated rammed-earth gate block with a horseshoe arch and closed wooden doorsFull dayThe ten gates of Fes walkBoujloud to Segma, all ten gates in a day, with the story of each.See the walkFes el Bali seen through a gap in the Merinid Tomb ruins, minarets and green roofs belowLate afternoon to sunsetMerinid Tombs and Borj Nord at sunsetUp the northern hill on foot to watch the sun set over the medina.See the walkA tiled lane of the Kissaria market in Fes el Bali hung with red lanternsHalf dayThe Fes souk walkTalaa Kebira, the Henna souk, the Kissaria and the coppersmiths.See the walkThe arcaded courtyard of Dar Batha with its sunken zellige poolHalf dayDar Batha and Nejjarine museumsThe Al Batha palace museum and the cedar fondouk of the carpenters.See the walkA tanner treading hides in a pit at the Chouara tanneryLate afternoonGolden-hour photo walkJnan Sbil to the Chouara tannery, paced for photographs.See the walkCafé terraces and a carved wooden balcony house just inside Bab Boujloud, start of Talaa Kebira2 to 3 hours, morningFirst-day orientation walkThe landmarks, the two main streets and the way home.See the walk

Questions before you walk

The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.

Can we go inside the madrasas?
The prayer hall at Bou Inania is off-limits to non-Muslim visitors. Before we plan the morning, we check what each madrasa has open to visitors on your date.
Can we go inside the Qarawiyyin?
We see it from its doorways and the streets around it, and your guide explains what is inside. We plan the walk around what visitors can see on your date.
What should we wear?
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees are the respectful choice near the mosques and shrines. Comfortable shoes for the stone lanes.
How much does it cost?
We don't publish prices. Every walk is private or small-group and quoted for your date, your group and how long you want to stay out. Tell us and a person writes back with a plan and a quote.

Tell us your date. We'll plan the morning.

  1. Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
  2. A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
  3. You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.
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