Fez, courtesy, Berber Dream Tours |
Fez is the second
largest city in Morocco after Casablanca with
a population of 1.4 million (2014). It is located in the northern part of the
country (northeast of the Atlas Mountains) and serves as the capital of
the Fez-Meknes administrative region.
It is also centrally located among most Moroccan population centers. Even
though Fez is often described as an “Arab” city, it is, in fact, approximately
33% indigenous Berber, of various tribes. In addition, there are the so-called
“Arabized Berbers” who make up approximately 54% of the population. They are
either of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry, or Berbers who have taken on Arab
culture and identity. Either way, the Arabized Berbers despise their own
indigenous Berber identity and identify more with the occupying Arabs. Just as
there are self-hating Jews in the world, so there are self-hating Berbers.
The
foundation of the city of Fez is said to have been established by the Arab
Idrisid dynasty in 789 but named after the Berber banu Fazaz tribe who
inhabited the site. Berber emigration to the city occurred from Muslim Spain, a.k.a. Andalusia, in 817–818 after they were expelled
after a rebellion against the ruling Arab Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba. They established the Adwat Al
Andalus quarter of the city. However, they were
followed by 2000 Arab families of colonists from Kairouan (modern
Tunisia) after another rebellion in 824 and who established the Adwat Al
Qarawiyyin quarter.
In the 10th
century, Fez, which at that time, was ruled by the Berber Zenatas, was
contested by the Arab Ummayads of Spanish Cordoba and the Idrisids on the
one hand, and the Arab Fatimid Caliphate of
Tunisia on the other. The Fatimids proved victorious and took the city in 927, expelled
the Idrisids, and installed the Berber Miknasa,
a branch of the Zenata, over the city. The Miknasa were, in turn, driven
out in 980 by the Berber Maghrawa, another branch of the Zenata and ally of Córdoba. It
was in this period that the Andalusian ruler Almanzor commissioned
the Maghrawa, under their emir Dunas al Maghrawi, to rebuild and refurnish the Al-Kairouan mosque, giving it much of
its current appearance.
In 1070, the
Berber Almoravid dynasty under ibn Tashfin conquered the city and great Islamic
works were initiated throughout the city and their domain. Under Almoravid
patronage the largest expansion and renovation of the al-Kairouan Mosque took
place (1134-1143) and Fez also acquired a reputation for Maliki legal
scholarship; the works of Abu Imran al Fassi were well known. The city also became
an important centre of trade. Almoravid impact on the city's structure was such
that the second Almoravid ruler, Yusuf ibn
Tashfin, is often considered to be the second founder of Fez.
Like many
Moroccan cities, Fez was greatly enlarged during the Berber Almohad
Caliphate and saw its previously dominating rural aspect
lessen. At the start of the 13th century they broke down the Idrisid city walls
and constructed new ones, which covered a much wider space. These Almohad walls exist to this day as the
outline of Fes el Bali
quarter. Under Almohad rule the city grew to become one of the largest in
the world with an estimated population of 200,000.
In 1250, Fez
became capital of the Berber Marinid Sultanate. In 1276, the Marinid Sultan Abu
Yusuf Yacub, who was known as a tolerant ruler who personally intervened to
prevent the attempted annihilation of the local Jewish community after a
massacre that took place there, established the neighborhood of Fes Jdid which he made the dynasty’s administrative
and military center. Fez reached its golden age during this time attracting
Berber villagers from the surrounding area. The ruling dynasty initiated
numerous building projects in the city, such as the madrasas: the Saffarin (the first), Al Attarine, Mesbahiyya, Sahrij, and
the Bou Inania; and mosques: the Great Mosque of Fes Jdid built in 1279,
the Abu al Hassan, the Chrabliyine beginning in 1342, the al-Hamra from
1350, the Lala Ghariba in Fes
Jdid, and the Bab Guissa from
the reign of Abu al-Hassan (1331-1351) (modified in later centuries). Other
projects included, the Dar al Magana water clock. The
city also became a major travel destination and throughout this period, was
often visited by great Islamic Berber scholars such as Ibn Batuta in the 14th
century. The Marinids also spread the teachings of the former Arab
ruler Idris I and encouraged sharifism, financing sharifian families as a way to legitimize
their (in essence secular) rule. Soon, hundreds of families throughout Morocco
claimed descent from Idris I, especially in Fez and the nearby Rif mountains.
The Moroccan Revolt in 1465 eventually
resulted in the overthrow of the last Marinid sultan nine years later. The
dynasty was then replaced by their relatives, the Wattasids,
who faithfully (but for a large part unsuccessfully) continued Marinid
policies. By 1549, the Arab Saadi dynasty overthrew the Wattasids. In 1576, Fez
was briefly conquered by the Ottoman Turks with the help of their Arab allies. Fez
remained however under Saadi rule til the present day. During this time period,
the indigenous Berbers were often relegated to second class citizenship, their
practice of Islam notwithstanding. In fact, as relatively recent as 1912, when
Morocco had just come under French rule, the student body at the University of
Al Qaraouiyyin, founded by Arabs in the 9th century, were strictly
segregated between Arab and Berber students. During the French and Spanish
occupation of Morocco in the early 20th centuries, the Berbers of
Fez, as with the rest of Morocco, were at the forefront of the fight for
independence. Their contributions to Moroccan independence and society still did
not improve their situation and only recently, was the Berber language even
recognized.
Indigenous
sites in Fez (aside from those mentioned above) include:
The Bab el Amer Gate leading to the Fes
Jdid quarter;
The Bab Bou Jeloud Gate built in the 12th
century, gives access to the main street leading to the Al Qarawiyyin;
Nearby is
the former Almoravid citadel;
The Chouara Tannery;
The tombs of the Marinids built in the 14th
century;
Coin Berber rug
shop in the Medina;
And the Al Batha Museum founded
by the Berber writer Ahmed Sefrioui.
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