Where Would Anyone Want to Go in North Africa?? Fes, Morocco

No, I'm not talking about this red hat, not exactly. This is a Fez, and the hat's origins can be traced to Morocco. What I want to write about is the city.

Boasting approximately 1 million people, the city of Fes is the 2nd largest city in Morocco and is known as the cultural capital of Morocco. The city boasts both of the old city (called Fes el-Bali) and a new section built by the French, called ville nouvelle. So if you are looking for centuries old buildings with shops and traditional Moroccan houses called riads, or wide boulevards with modern shopping and hotels, Fes has it all. 

Fes has two large medinas, or old cities. Made up of hundreds (some say thousands) of alley ways, it has been said that the Fes el-Bali is the world's largest car free urban area. That's right - no cars are allowed into the old city, though donkeys are.

Kairauine Mosque 

Tucked deep inside the Fes el-Bali is the Kairauine Mosque. Since it is surrounded by hundreds of shops and homes, it's hard to get a grasp of just how big this mosque is. Up to 20,000 people can be in this mosque at once, though technically you are only allowed inside if you are a Muslim. When the doors are opened, you can peak inside to see the beautiful tile work. I have not been to Fes yet, but I have been in several Medinas. It can get very confusing inside and it is easy to get turned around and lost. Well, if wandering around the medina (not lost, of course) and hit your head on a low hanging wooden beam, you're very close. Apparently, the wooden beams were installed so people would have to lower their head when approaching the mosque (and also to keep mules from getting too close).

One thing you cannot fault the Muslim people for is their respect for their holy places. I do believe their respect is put in the wrong places, but they do get an A for effort. Even in such things as wooden beams to force people to lower their heads, they work so hard to please a false god. If only they knew the freedom Christ gives! Rather than look down upon the Muslim people, why can we not have a greater compassion? They are working their way to paradise the way they have been taught all their lives and their parents' lives and their grandparents' lives. Rather than rant and rave, why don't we pray for them? They are lost first and foremost. Their eyes have been blinded. Join me in prayer that their hearts will know Islam is not the answer. Pray for them to question their beliefs and seek out the Truth. Pray for laborers to go into this needy field to tell them the Glorious Gospel.