On the hillside north of the medina stand the crumbling Marinid Tombs, the remains of royal mausoleums built by the Marinid dynasty in the 14th century. Little survives beyond a few tall walls and arches of weathered stone, and their occupants are no longer identified — but people come here less for the ruins than for what lies below them.
From the terrace beside the tombs you get the definitive panorama of Fes: the whole of Fes el-Bali spread out in the valley, a sea of pale rooftops pricked with the green-tiled minarets of the Qarawiyyin and the countless smaller mosques, with the hills and, on clear days, the Middle Atlas rising beyond. It is the classic orientation view — you can trace the shape of the medina you have been walking through — and it is at its most atmospheric at sunset, when the light warms the walls and the muezzins' calls rise together across the city.
The tombs sit above the medina on an exposed slope reached by road, so a private driver is the easy way to arrive: you are brought up for golden hour without the uphill walk, and driven back down afterwards rather than descending in the dark.
Highlights
- The panoramic sweep over the whole Fes el-Bali medina
- Green-tiled minarets of the Qarawiyyin and dozens of mosques picked out below
- Weathered 14th-century Marinid mausoleum ruins
- Views to the surrounding hills and Middle Atlas on clear days
- A sunset soundscape of overlapping calls to prayer
- The best single spot to orient yourself over the old city
Best Time to Visit
Late afternoon into sunset, when the medina glows gold and the evening call to prayer rises across the valley.