It boasts the Mosque of Mulai Idris, a noted Muslim shrine. Karaouiyine University, one of the world's oldest universities, was founded in Fez in 859. Morocco Fez lies in the deep valley of the Fez River in northern Morocco.
Railroads connect it with other North African cities.
It is noted for its silk, woolen, and leather goods. The Arab ruler Idris II founded Fez as his capital in 808. The city declined in the 1600's, when Sultan Ismail built his palace in Meknes. But it again became the capital from 1728 until the French occupation of Morocco in 1912. Kenneth J. Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of History, Univ. of South Carolina.