Though antique and neglected, Fez is nonetheless beautiful. The city has all the charm of a path through history. Its structural beginnings dating from as early as the 8th century, Fez is the oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities and keeper of the country’s spiritual history. A center of arabization and islamization in Morocco, the city contains a great many prestigious religious and cultural buildings - a main reason for UNESCO stepping in to help preserve and restore the town from its contemporary state of decay.

Its urban layout is tightly knit, but divided into three main sections - the historic medina, or Fez el-Bali, the southern spread, or Fez El-Jedid, and the most recent expanse, the Ville Nouvelle. Most picturesque of its subdivisions include the Andalusian and Karaouiyine Quarters in Fez el-Bali and the Jewish quarter of Fez el-Jadid. There are absolutely no cars in the medinas, only a labyrinth of narrow alleyways to be discovered on foot.