Fès, the oldest of the imperial cities

Behind its walls, thousands of lanes lead to souks organised by trade, carved medersas, the al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, and the Chouara tannery, where hides are dyed in stone vats as they have been for centuries. The whole medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Fès is often the start or the end of a journey through the imperial cities, Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis, or of a crossing of the Middle Atlas to the dunes of Merzouga.