Marinid Tombs

The medina of Fès can be considered generally flat. Basically, most of the buildings here in the medina have the same height apart from the mosques which tend to have tall minarets. Because of this, it is quite easy to see much of the medina by just going to one of the many open roof decks in the city. This is how I found out that there is a monument built on top of a hill just outside the medina walls. I did a short hike up the hill along a dirty path which leads to the top of the hill. Along the way, you can see the rest of the medina. It was actually difficult for me to see the medina because the sun was across where I was. I think it would be nice to be here when the sun goes down but it might be difficult to find you way down in the dark.

The top of the hill outside Fès is punctuated by two ruined structures. These are the Marinid Tombs. The Marinids conquered Fès in the thirteenth century and made Fès their capital. As you might expect, the Marinids built palaces and mosques in the city. As you can see, the Marinids loved the city so much that the were buried in a place which overlooks the medina. The two structures are the most significant remains of the tombs here. Having said that, the tombs themselves weren’t in a very good state. A lot of the old structure has eroded away including the roof. So it was difficult to imagine how it looked like back then.

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