Fès and its Festival

Fès does not reveal herself easily. To gain access, it is necessary to enter through the gate of the Sacred, which is both visible and veiled. Because Fès is a sanctuary, the Sufis, the Muslim mystics, have always called it the Zawia, or sanctuary. Upon arriving at the gates of the city, a traveler coming from afar would know that the hospitality he was seeking would come from the city's founder and patron saint of the city. For early travelers, Fès was the city of Moulay Idriss.

Many Fassis still know by heart the inaugural prayer that historians attribute to Idriss: "Oh Allah, You know that I did not build this city in search of glory, or out of vanity, or through the desire for fame or pride. But I would like You to be worshipped, I would like Your Book to be read and Your Law to be applied as long as the world exists. Oh Allah, be the guide of those living on this earth and help them to carry out Your Law, and let them not see the sword of anarchy and dissidence."

The political and intellectual capital of Morocco for several centuries, Fès became a centre of encounter and exchange. It is reported that Sylvester II (Gerbert d'Aurillac), Pope from 999 until 1003, spent time studying in Fès during his youth. Following this, he introduced Arabic numerals to Europe. The Jewish doctor and philosopher Maimonides also lived here for several years and taught at the Qaraouine University. The work of this philosopher is a wonderful illustration of this synthesis of Judeo-Islamic culture which prevailed in Andalusia and is similarly echoed in Fès.

During these centuries of cultural expansion, the mystic and metaphysician Ibn Arabi (d.1377), Ibn Khaldoun (d.1382), and the mathematician Ibn Al Banna. (d.1321) are amongst the great figures who sojourned in Fès.

The Qaraouine University has a rich library with numerous manuscripts dealing with the religious sciences and natural and cosmological philosophy. Teachers at this university have always had access to large private libraries, either inherited from their family tradition or through personal acquisition. To this day, a manuscript market where one can find rare and precious specimens is held every Sunday morning in a small street next to the University.

The Festival of World Sacred Music wishes to bear the spirit of Fès. The impact on the city is considerable be it in terms of image or cultural tourism, hence the economy. The historic town, theater of this festival, receives tremendous valorisation. Beyond Fès, this event portrays our country's ability, through its rich and ancient cultural traditions, to find a place in a crucial cultural movement.