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Fez: a shot of Arabian magic
Palais Amani is the perfect gateway to the world’s largest Medieval city
Three hours in the sky and the UK seems a million miles away. Immediately on arrival, Morocco envelops you in colour, from the cobalt Saharan skies to the flood of hues in the ancient city of Fez, the world’s largest living Medieval city.
Just 20 minutes from Fez airport lies the sprawling labyrinth of Fes-el-Bali. Laid out in the ninth century on the Fez River, the 540-acre medina holds 156,000 inhabitants and an untold number of mysteries within its 10,000 winding streets. An ancient warren of alleyways, it spills over with silks, carpets, lanterns, donkeys and locals eager to lure you in to their shop to buy something.
Within minutes of arriving in the dusty mecca, numerous teenagers offer to be your guide. While the fear of getting lost is great, it is usually better to just guide yourself, as we did, not only to avoid any awkward payment questions at the end, but also to give you the chance to explore the tangled alleyways yourself.
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At first glance, Fez appears dark and claustrophobic. But as you push past frantic carpet weavers and the pools of kaleidoscopic dyes, you quickly get swept up in it all.
The Week Portfolio’s first stroll around the city brought us to a Berber (indigenous North African) pharmacy with floor-to-ceiling brews, poultices, spices and medicines for every kind of ailment. We left with a silk pouch of potent Nigella seeds and instructions to inhale deeply, one nostril at a time. According to an Arab proverb, "in the black seed is the medicine for every disease except death". A tall claim.
Fez has swagger. It is bold and confident and filled with intoxicating, heady sights and scents. Skeins of freshly dyed indigo wool and vermilion leather hang to dry against rhubarb pink walls. Natural dyes are used widely - dried pomegranate shells, fluorescent yellow turmeric, tangerine saffron and rosy pink safflower are popular. Bloody chunks of animals swing above caged chickens and sunset-hued spices line up in perfect domes next to huge bunches of fresh herbs.
An hour in Fes-el-Bali feels like four hours outside, such is its frenetic pace. Stepping into it is like boarding the Tube at rush hour. Tourists are few and far between and it’s impossible not to get swept along of daily life here. After just a few hours, you may well find yourself needing to come up for air.
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Thankfully Fez also has a softer side. Hidden behind thick 12ft-high cedar wood doors lie the city's riads – centuries-old palaces with lush green interior gardens. Tucked away down one narrow lane sits Palais Amani, an opulent 15-bedroom riad and the perfect antidote to the madding crowds outside.
Behind the heavy gold-studded wooden doors, a serene reception awaits. Where the medina is cramped and low-ceilinged, the riad is open to the sky, with just a canopy of orange and lemon trees. In place of the teeming tunnels is a jasmine-scented courtyard with an ornate fountain in the middle. Beautiful and soothing, the palace seems to drive the stresses of the medina away.
Palais Amani has 15 upscale rooms, with a salon and library, a rooftop bar, extensive terraces and a traditional hammam and spa – for healing and purification, naturally.
The panoramic 360-degree rooftop terrace is perhaps my favourite part. It’s the perfect place to curl up with a fresh mint tea at sunset, poured dramatically from a huge height by a smiling waiter. The evening call to prayer reverberates around the Medieval minarets and the Zalagh hills and the sky melt together.
Fez is intense and often startling but thankfully, underneath its blaring exterior lies a soothing, leafy paradise to catch you.
Palais Amani, B&B is priced from €160 (£143) per room per night. palaisamani.com
Air Arabia Maroc fly to Fez from London Gatwick on Wednesdays and Saturdays and Ryanair from London Stansted on Wednesdays and Sundays.
