Quick Answer To Some Questions About Fès

Fès el-Bali is called the "old city" or "old medina". The streets are extremely narrow with the buildings going up 2-3 stories high. During the day it's rather charming, easy to get lost in, and thoroughly confusing. At night, however, when the streets empty they can seem rather sinister. It's quite easy to let your imagine take over and get yourself freaked out (and in some cases justifiably so) with images of a narrow dark alleyway, a rogue with malicious intent and an exotically curved knife, a body easily dispensed with one smooth motion across the throat.

All the streets travel downhill towards the different souqs; the city is pretty much shaped like a bowl.

Fès el-Jdid retains some of this romantic flavor but the path/walkways are much wider, there are fewer streets, and it is much smaller.

Le ville nouvelle is simply like any modern city.