Fez is a major Moroccan city founded in two stages under the Idrisids. Idris I established the first settlement on the right bank of the Wadi Fas in 789, while Idris II built a planned city opposite it in 809. The city became the Idrisid capital, a centre of Arabization and Islamization, and an enduring intellectual centre through al-Karawiyyin.
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The Story
Fez emerged through two complementary foundations under the Idrisid rulers. In 789 Idris I built the first city on the right bank of the Wadi Fas and populated it with Berbers. In 809 Idris II erected a new and better-planned settlement on the left bank opposite the first, creating the paired urban foundations that shaped the city's early history.
Each of the two cities initially possessed its own fortified wall. Their separation lasted until the Almoravid period, when the settlements were unified. Fez's location along the major east-west axis of the Taza valley gave it strategic and commercial advantages, while abundant water, wood, stone, and clay supported rapid development and construction.
Fez became the first capital of Morocco and the spiritual centre of the Idrisid state. Refugees and immigrants from Ifriqiya, Spain, and Cordoba strengthened its Arab political and intellectual character within a Berber environment. The foundation of the mosque and university of al-Karawiyyin in 859 by a woman from Kayrawan consolidated Fez's position as a leading religious and cultural centre.
Fez is a major Moroccan city founded in two stages under the Idrisids. Idris I established the first settlement on the right bank of the Wadi Fas in 789, while Idris II built a planned city opposite it in 809. The city became the Idrisid capital, a centre of Arabization and Islamization, and an enduring intellectual centre through al-Karawiyyin.
Continue exploring
The Story
Fez emerged through two complementary foundations under the Idrisid rulers. In 789 Idris I built the first city on the right bank of the Wadi Fas and populated it with Berbers. In 809 Idris II erected a new and better-planned settlement on the left bank opposite the first, creating the paired urban foundations that shaped the city's early history.
Each of the two cities initially possessed its own fortified wall. Their separation lasted until the Almoravid period, when the settlements were unified. Fez's location along the major east-west axis of the Taza valley gave it strategic and commercial advantages, while abundant water, wood, stone, and clay supported rapid development and construction.
Fez became the first capital of Morocco and the spiritual centre of the Idrisid state. Refugees and immigrants from Ifriqiya, Spain, and Cordoba strengthened its Arab political and intellectual character within a Berber environment. The foundation of the mosque and university of al-Karawiyyin in 859 by a woman from Kayrawan consolidated Fez's position as a leading religious and cultural centre.
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