The Indianapolis journal., 1903-03-22
THE CAPITAL OF MOROCCO
QUAINT CITY OF FEE, IN WHICH SUI
TAN HAS BEEN BEsIEGED.
Founded by Mulai Idris More Than a
Thousand Years Ago, and Still the
Most Oriental of Towns.


London Times.
A long line of gray walls. broken here
and there by battlemented towers and
topped by the white buildings of the Sui
tan's palace and a few minarets, such is
the travellers first view of Fez as he ap-
proaches the capital by the main caravan
road. Ii is an unattractive approach. for
the last eight ten miles of the 175 that
lie between Tangier and the largest and
most important city of Morocco pass over
plateau between level, unbroken stretches
of corn-growing country bounded on the
north by bare hills and farther away on
the south by range of rugged mountains.
One sees little but its gray monotonous
walls appearing on the horizon. Yet 1T is
an ideal site for city. and Mulai Idris, its
founder and patron saint, did not err in fix
ing upon 1T for his capital when early in
the ninth century A. d. he laid its founda-
tions. There is a picturesque story told OF
the origin of its name. for Fas, as the
Moors call it, means a "hoe" in Arabic,
and 1t is said that as Mulai Idris turned
the first sod he cried, Here 1 plant my
hoe, tradition almost identical with the
naming of Kairouan by the great Okba.
The main entrance to Fee, the Bah Seq
ma, is an unworthy gateway for such
city, for it consists Of little more than an
archway cut in the wall, with no preten-
sions to size decoration.
There is a second gateway on the right
in the wall that encircles the palace gar
dens, through which on the great feast
days of the year the Sultan rides to pray
at the 'Msala' near by. The "Msala"
itself is a short white-crested wall with
niche or mihrab facing the east. and is
situated only few hundred yards away on
the slope of the hill. Insignificant enough
in itself, it presents on state occasions a
marvellous picture.
Entering through the Bah Segma one
passes for a short distance along street
lined with little shops, where dried figs and
raisins, walnuts and groceries are exposed
for sale. A sharp turn to the right leads
one into the outermost of the public squares
rounded by high walls, and pierced at each
end by great gateways. On the right is the
facade and entrance to the arsenal, par
tlcularly hideous mixture of bad Oriental
and worse European taste, while straight
in front Is the Gate of the Lion,'' fine
archway in modern Moorish style, some
what spoiled by its gaudy coloring, which
time is happily softening. 1t is under the
shade of its heavy roof that one of the
several Governors Of Fee holds his public
court and deals out what he calls justice.
He sits cross-legged, attended by secre-
taries, in deep niche in the gateway, while
in semi-circle before him squat his doz-
ems of white-robed and red-capped SOL
diers. Before him kneel the plaintiff and
defendant, both talking volubly at the same
time and each calling God to witness that
the other is a liar-whch is probably true.
SQUARES AND STREETS.
A second public square lies beyond this
archway, on to which open the gates of the
private precincts of the Sultan's Palace,
with their guard of soldiers. probably fast
asleep. 1t is from this second square that
the routes to old and new Fee respectively
divide. The latter consists of the upper and
more modern town, and contains the Pal
ace, the "Mellah,'' or Jews quarter, and a
district almost entirely official. but boasts
From the second public square of the
Palace a wide roadway, bounded by the
high walls that encircle the Sultan's gar
den on-the right, brings one into Blu Jelud,
large open space containing some ruined
barracks and some granaries. Here it is of
an afternoon that the story-tellers and
snake-charmers congregate, and the devo-
tees of various sects go through their re-
ligious ecstasies for money. Below Blu
Jelud the hill becomes more steep and the
slopes, winding along the course of the
Wad Fas, which, rising the plateau
above, flows through the Palace Enclosures,
then through the garden quarter of the
town, TO find its way eventually into old
FeZ beneath.
The main thoroughfare of the city, pierre
ing. it from Blu Jelud down to the great
Kairuin mosque at the bottom of the hill,
is called the Talaa. Motley, indeed, is the
crowd that never ceases to move in this
long street. Rich shereefs-descendants of
the prophet himself-and high officials,
mounted on handsome saddle mules and at
tended by black slaves. push their way
through the foot passengers, their attend
ants crying, "Balak'-'your attention.
a polite form of "get out of the way
Negroes who are SO black that the high
lights on their features shine blue and
the glare of the sunshine; very medley of
humanity in black and white and with ex-
amples of every intermediate shade-such
nagerie Of humanity. But ii Is not for its
people alone that the street is an interest
ing one, for its architecture is always Curl
Gus and now and then beautiful.
There are two structures pre-eminently
worthy of notice in the Talaa-namely, at
its upper end, the mosque and college OF Blu
Ainan, and, lower down. one of the gems of
These mosques and sanctuarieS OF Morocco
are all forbidden ground to the Christian
and the traveller must rest content with a
view of the outside and glimpse through
the open doors; but the mosque of Blu Ainan
boasts an exterior more decorated than is
usually the case, and on both sides of the
street there is a great deal of beautiful cid
plaster work and mosaic of tiles. The wood
carving of the projecting beams and the
brackets that support them is very fine of
design and execution. Looking in through
the doorway of the mosque, small flight
of steps meets the eye, at the summit Of
which is large open courtyard with mar
BILE floor and large marble fountain, the
whole flooded with sunlight: On to this
courtyard open deep-shaded arcades of
arches, the facade of which is handsomely
decorated. At one time this college sup
ported no less than some 500 students who
studied in its precincts, but in course of
time it's special fund for the purpose was
withdrawn and placed at the disposal of
the Kairuin University. The mosque OF
Blu Ainan is, however, still used as school,
though its Importance as place of edu-
cation has entirely disappeared. The prin-
cipal attraction Of the Shrebelein mosque
is its square tower, of no great height, but
exqusitely decorated in mosaics of tiles,
arranged in geometric patterns between the
projecting edges of bricks. 1t is of the
most beautiful little mosques in Fez, and
happily its position, projecting into the
Talaa, allows exceptionally good view
of its exterior to be obtained Its little
tower, its green tiled roof, its arches and
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