Fes

The leather shops above have balconies over the coloured vats. The white ones hold pigeon droppings and lime for stripping the hair.

Founded in 859, it is recorded as a university that has never stopped operating. Its library keeps manuscripts more than ten centuries old and shows only part.

Carved cedar and worked plaster cover every wall surface. Across the lane the remains of a water clock survive, though how it ran is still unexplained.

Blue tile faces outward and green tile faces in. This gate serves as the main way into the old city.

A former merchants' lodging was converted to hold wooden tools and furniture. From the roof the old city rooftops run on without end.

Houses with balconies jutting outward set this quarter apart from the rest. White tombs stand in rows in the cemetery on the hill.

Bowls are thrown on the wheel and tile is chipped by hand to fit a pattern. The pieces are laid face down while assembled, so the front is never seen during the work.

From the fort on the hill the whole old city lies open at once. The evening call rises from many mosques at the same moment.

A small square gathers shops selling henna, herbs and cosmetics. One plane tree in the middle provides the shade.

The lower floor held camels and goods while people slept above. Several still work as workshops with goods being made in the courtyard.

The main gate of Dar el Makhzen, the royal palace in Fes el Jdid: seven brass doors framed in tile and carved cedar. The palace is closed to visitors; the square out front is as far as you go. Morning light turns the brass gold.

A royal garden between the old city and Fes el Jdid, opened to the public, with bamboo groves and palm walks around ponds and water channels. Admission is free. Locals use it to catch their breath after the medina lanes.

A 16th-century Saadian fort crowning the rise below the medina's southern edge, facing Borj Nord across the valley and viewing the old city from the other side. Hardly any tourists make the climb, and locals sit on the cemetery slope beneath it for sunset.

A Marinid theological school from the 1320s beside the spice market, its small courtyard wrapped in tile, plaster and carved cedar. Non-Muslims may enter. From the student rooms upstairs, the windows look onto the Qarawiyyin mosque roofs.

The shrine of Idris II, founder of Fes in the 9th century, ringed by lanes of stalls selling candles, incense and sweets. Non-Muslims stay outside, though open doors show the ornament within. A wooden bar across each lane entrance marks the sacred zone.

A small square by the Qarawiyyin library where craftsmen beat copper and brass into cauldrons and trays. The clang of hammers fills it from end to end. The huge pots hired out for weddings are made and mended here too.

A 17th-century synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Fes el Jdid, restored and open in its old form. Steps still lead down below the floor to the ritual bath. A caretaker unlocks the door and shows visitors around.

The medina's main street, sloping down from the Blue Gate toward the Qarawiyyin past shops, small schools and fountains. When a loaded mule comes through, the driver shouts balak, so flatten yourself against the wall. Going down is easy; the way back climbs.

Founded in the mid-9th century on the bank facing the Qarawiyyin, and named for the Cordoba refugees who settled the quarter and helped fund it. Only Muslims enter, but anyone can admire the canopied doorway. Its markets serve locals.

A resort town on the Middle Atlas plateau south of Fes, built in French colonial times, whose pitched roofs and lawns look like a European mountain village. Snow falls often in winter, drawing people up to see it. The stone lion in the park is the photo spot.

A dense forest of Atlas cedar near Azrou, south of Ifrane, home to troops of Barbary macaques. Roadside sellers offer food for the monkeys, though posted notices say feeding is not allowed. The shade stays cool through summer, so pack a jacket.

A hillside village a short drive from Fes whose houses sit on top of caves dug out of the slope; the caves still work as kitchens and sitting rooms. A few families open theirs to visitors. Its women are also known for hand-sewing djellaba buttons.

A small walled town some 30 kilometres south of Fes, with a river through the middle of its medina and bridges joining the quarters. Cherry orchards surround it, and a cherry festival comes as summer begins. Far calmer than Fes, and nobody hustles.