page_title: Oued Fes
section_title: Oued Bou Khareb
hierarchical_section_title: Oued Fes / Oued Bou Khareb
caption_attribution_description: English: The Oued Bou Khareb in 2010, seen from the Terrafin bridge.
context_page_description: The Oued Fes is a river in Morocco. It is a tributary of the Sebou River and historically the main source of water for the city of Fes, after which it is named.
  The river consists of a number of different streams which originate in the Saïss Plain to the south and west of Fes before joining together in the area of Fes el-Bali, the old city of Fes. Over the centuries the river has been split and diverted into a multitude of canals that distributed water across the city and once powered a number of historic waterwheels. These various water channels converge into the Oued Bou Khareb which runs through the middle of the old city and historically divided the Qarawiyyin and Andalusiyyin quarters. After the river leaves the city it runs eastwards for a short distance before joining the Sebou River. The various branches and sections of the river, including many of the man-made canals, also have their own names.
context_section_description: Oued Bou Khareb (or sometimes Oued el-Kbir) is the usual name given to the main urban course of the river through the middle of Fes el-Bali. This river is initially fed by two other streams called the Oued ez-Zitoun and the Oued Bou Fekran that enter the city from the south at Bab Jdid. It is also fed by the various canals that split off from the Oued al-Jawahir to supply the city before eventually ending up in this ravine in the middle of the city. As the lowest point in the medina, the river thus acts as a collector for the city's used water.  
  The course of the Bou Khareb also forms the historical boundary between the Qarawiyyin and Andalus quarters of the city, which were originally two separate cities (al-'Aliya and Madinat Fas) in their early history before being joined together by the Almoravids in the 11th century. Much of the Oued Bou Khareb's course, from Bab Jdid to Place R'cif, is now hidden beneath a modern road for car traffic (one of the few that penetrates the medina). The road covers the river up to Place R'cif, a large square at the heart of the medina, and the river reemerges on the north side of square. From there the river runs northeast and exits the city between Bab Guissa and the former gate of Bab Sidi Bou Jida.
caption: Oued Bou Khareb in 2010.
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