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7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Fes, Morocco's Oldest Imperial City
Home to the world's largest car-free urban area, Fes el-Bali, Morocco's oldest imperial city is built around a medieval medina of tanneries, tiled gateways and covered souks that has barely changed its street plan in centuries.
Sep 26, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Fes was founded in the 9th century and served as an imperial capital of Morocco at several points in its history, and its walled old city, Fes el-Bali, is generally cited as the largest car-free urban area in the world, a maze of some 9,000 narrow lanes navigable only on foot or by pack animal. That density and age are exactly what make it one of North Africa's most photographed cities, with almost every turn opening onto a tiled gateway, a covered souk or a workshop unchanged in method for generations.
1. Chouara Tannery
The largest of Fes's three historic tanneries, Chouara dates to around the 11th century and is best viewed from the terraces of surrounding leather shops, which offer an elevated vantage over the honeycomb of stone dye pits below. The tannery is still in active use, with hides treated using methods that have changed little over the centuries.
2. Bab Boujloud, the Blue Gate
The ornate horseshoe-arched gate marking the western entrance to Fes el-Bali is tiled in blue on its outer face and green on the inner face, the two colours traditionally associated with Fes and with Islam respectively, and it remains the medina's most recognisable single landmark.
3. Al-Attarine Madrasa
A 14th-century Quranic school known for its zellige tilework, carved cedar and stucco decoration, Al-Attarine's small central courtyard is considered one of the finest surviving examples of Marinid-era architecture in the city.
4. University of Al Quaraouiyine and Al-Attarine area rooftops
Founded in 859, Al Quaraouiyine is recognised by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest existing, continually operating higher-education institution in the world, though its interior is largely restricted to worshippers and students; nearby rooftop cafés give visitors a view over its green-tiled minaret and the medina roofscape beyond.
5. Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts
Housed in a restored 18th-century fondouk, or merchants' inn, built around a tiled central courtyard, the museum's architecture is as much a draw as its collection, with carved wooden balconies stacked around the open central well.
6. Borj Nord and the hilltop views
A 16th-century Saadian-era fortress on the hills above the medina, Borj Nord offers a wide panorama over the entire old city's rooftops, a useful counterpoint to street-level shots for capturing the full scale of the medina.
7. The dyers' souk, Souk Sabbaghine
Close to the tanneries, the dyers' quarter still hangs freshly dyed wool and thread out to dry across the narrow lanes, creating a changing display of colour that varies by day depending on what's being worked.
Traveller tips
- Fès-Saïss Airport is the nearest airport, with a taxi transfer of around 20 minutes to the medina.
- A local guide is genuinely useful in Fes el-Bali given the density and lack of clear signage in the old city's lanes.
- Tannery terraces are typically run by adjoining leather shops; a small entry courtesy or purchase is customary rather than free entry as of right.
- Spring and autumn offer more comfortable walking temperatures than the height of summer, when the medina's narrow lanes trap heat.
Where this is
Fes, Morocco