: Fez. Low angle view of Bab el-Mahrouk, 1214, the gate to the Medina

Fez

Low angle view of Bab el-Mahrouk, 1214, the gate to the Medina, Fez, Morocco, pictured on February 25, 2009 in the morning. In front of the ancient gate, Built by the Almohads during the reign of Mohammad El-Nasser, it is now surrounded by market stalls. Fez, Morocco's second largest city, and one of the four imperial cities, was founded in 789 by Idris I on the banks of the River Fez. The oldest university in the world is here and the city is still the Moroccan cultural and spiritual centre. Fez has three sectors: the oldest part, the walled city of Fes-el-Bali, houses Morocco's largest medina and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Fes-el-Jedid was founded in 1244 as a new capital by the Merenid dynasty, and contains the Mellah, or Jewish quarter; Ville Nouvelle was built by the French who took over most of Morocco in 1912 and transferred the capital to Rabat. Picture by Manuel Cohen

Picture No

13447171

Media ID

45153308

Size

5616px x 3744px (4.6MB)

Credit

Manuel Cohen / Mary Evans

Source

Photograph by Manuel Cohen