A Trip to Fes

The Bab Bujeloud - photos by Kent St. John

In a new article on GoNOMAD, Senior Travel Editor Kent E. St. John writes about his trip to Fes, Morocco. Fes, only located a few hours from Rabat, the capital, is an ancient city with a mysterious Medina, where you can find almost anything. Here’s a selection from the article.

The call to prayers from the muezzins permeated the clear air from several of the minarets in the culverts far below much as they have for 1,200 years. From my perch above, the medina spread in a mustard color from the top of a mountain down, much like a spider’s web.

In researching for my trip I had read that it is very possible to get lost in the city’s web, forever back in time. It is clear why Fes (also spelled Fez) is called the city of ten thousand alleys.

After a week in Marrakech I wanted to delve further into Morocco’s mystique and Fes is its spiritual center. With a deep breath I turned around to catch a glimpse of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains from Fes’s new airport, it was time to turn back the clock.

Fes’s importance as a spiritual city was immediately evident by the sheer beauty of the three-gated Bab Boujeloud, outshone only by the full amber moon that dominated from above. Gas lights past the gates glowed and the nightly ritual of cruising had begun. Food stalls wafted spices and it was bewitching.

Read the rest of the article at GoNOMAD.com