Bab Boujeloud (Blue Gate), Fes (must see)

Set inside stout city walls, Pacha el-Baghdadi Square works like a hinge between two worlds: the medieval Medina on one side and Fès el-Jdid on the other. Anchoring the square is the Blue Gate, a favorite rendezvous packed with cafés, snack stalls, and people deciding where to go next. You’ll recognize it instantly by its tiled personality-blue on the outside, the traditional colour of Fes, and green on the inside, a nod to Islam. Subtle symbolism, very photogenic.

The gate you’re looking at dates back to 1913 and was built in a Moorish revival style during the French Protectorate. It may be centuries younger than the surrounding Medina, but it has confidently claimed the role of Fes el-Bali’s main entrance. Three perfectly balanced horseshoe arches give it a ceremonial feel, as if the city is formally clearing its throat before letting you in.

A curious detail: the gate locks from the outside. One popular theory suggests this was a French-era precaution, designed to keep the famously independent Old Town “contained” after dark.

By the time the Blue Gate was built, city gates had largely retired from serious military duty. Cannons had changed the rules of defense, and gates like this one shifted roles-from holding off enemies to impressing visitors and controlling the flow of goods and taxes. In other words, less battlefield, more urban branding...

Step through the gate, and the atmosphere changes immediately. Cars drop away, sound softens, and the Old Medina takes over. Look to the left, and you’ll spot the minaret of the Bou Inania Madrasa, quietly marking one of the city’s architectural highlights. From here on, it’s all on foot-narrow streets, layered history, and the slow realization that Fes is about to do what it does best: pull you in, one turn after another.