: Fez. Low angle view of minaret above corner of courtyard

Fez

Low angle view of minaret above corner of courtyard, Bou Inania Madrasa, Fez, Morocco, pictured on February 25, 2009 in the morning. The Bou Inania Madrasa was founded as a boarding school and mosque in AD 1351-56 by Abu Inan Faris, also the founder of the Bou Inania Madrasa in Meknes, and holds the status of Grand Mosque. A fine example of Marenid architecture with its intricate plasterwork, carved cedar and decorated tiles or zellij it is the only mosque in Fez open to non-Muslim visitors. It was renovated in the 18th and 20th centuries. 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

13447174

Media ID

45153976

Size

3640px x 3748px (4.1MB)

Credit

Manuel Cohen / Mary Evans

Source

Photograph by Manuel Cohen