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The Merinid city of Fes el Jedid was erected under sultan Abu Youssef in the year 1276, just beyond Fes el Bali. It was to house the administration, the army and the retinue of the ruler's court. As the Merinid governmental and administrative seat was laid out according to clearcut plans, the visitor can get his or her bearings quite easily to this day.
The royal palace Dar el Makzhen is still used by Hassan II and his retinue when they pay their annual visit to Fes. Unfortunately, since the palace cannot be toured even during the ruler's absence, visitors must be satisfied with the view of the copiously ornamented entrance gate in classical Moorish style at the Place des Alawites. Doubtlessly, the brass smiths of Fes produced one of their veritable masterpieces here, in 1968.
Situated south of the palace is the former Jewish quarter, the so-called Mellah. During the 14th century the Jews had to leave Fes el Bali and were forcibly settled here. As wards of the sultan (as were all Christians too) they had to pay a poll tax, which meant that the ruler always had direct access to his most important and secure source of income. The majority of the former inhabitants left their quarter in the 60s and headed in the direction of Israel. But it is still possible to discern the Jewish residential buildings by their numerous wooden balconies and wroughtiron latticework, a sure indication that Jewish houses were more street oriented than that of the Moslems. It is worth paying a visit to the Jewish cemetery, which is located on the southern edge of the quarter, where several marble-sheathed tombs bear witness to the affluence of the former Mellah residents.
At the end of the bustling Grande Rue du Mellah, one finally comes upon the Bab Semmarine, which is adjacent to an impressive Merinid market hall. Here one has a chance to observe the housewives in their inexorable and steadfast haggling with the produce sellers, or the fish merchant confronting his assistant who, despite all his instructions, has failed to use enough water to keep the fish fresh.
The Grande Rue de Fes el Jedid starts behind the Bab Semmarine. It is the most important bazaar street in the Moslem district of Fes el Jedid, leading toward the north to the Bab es Seba. About halfway along this stretch, on the lefthand side, one will come across a Merinid building complex with a hammam, toilets and a baking oven. One should at least have a look at, if not make use of, the public toilet facilities, in which there is also a booth reserved solely for women - a rarity in the city's lavatory facilities.
Standing at the end of the souk street is the Bab es Seba, where casual laborers and craftsmen (who have brought their tools along) await potential clients. Past the gate, at the north entrance of the royal palace, is the old Mechouar, a square in which military drill exercises were carried out and was not actually constructed until the end of the 19th century. The west side of the plaza, which is delimited by high walls, is formed by the Makina, an armaments factory of the same age, built and managed by Italians. Nowadays it houses a carpet weavery.
Departing from here one can either head north through the Bab Segma and thus come upon the over 300-year-old Cherarda Kasbah, which nowadays shelters a hospital and the university's theological department, or one can turn east from the Bab es Seba and so pass, en route to the Bab Boujeloud, the park grounds of the Jardins Boujeloud, which are located between Fes el Jedid and Fes el Bali. From the gardens it is not far to the Dar Batha Museum of Handicrafts, which has been installed in a former viziers'palace.
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