This is the best panoramic view of Fes you'll ever get.
As the sun was slowly getting hidden behind the clouds, we decided this was the best time to climb up the steep hill towards the Marinid Tombs and the promised panoramic view of the city, whilst avoiding the intense heat. This was the first time I had left the ancient medina walls since I entered them, and it was amazing to see cars and buses drive in and out of the city whilst enclosed by the massive ancient city walls that surrounded them. I do wonder if the ancestors who built those walls hundreds of years ago ever imagined such a sight?
My newfound companion and myself had the ruins in sight. Outside the city to the north, it was much less congested and not as many tourists (in fact we saw none!) apart from us. A few locals gave looks bemused as we kept on climbing but it didn't deter us. The ruins grew bigger as we got closer and closer, but what took our eyes of it was the sheer gorgeousness of the city of Fes that appeared out of nowhere. It was crazy to think we were amongst all of that. No wonder it's easy to get lost, it was a mass of brown and orange buildings with no discernible feature, apart from the occasional minarets that stood above the other buildings.
Spurred on by the prospect of an even more impressive view, we soldiered onward and upwards towards the ruins. The route seemed to want to take us through a graveyard, which was a very sombre experience. It was however very beautiful, with every tombstone painted in a vibrant white, providing a stunning contrast against the rolling green hills behind it. And that's when I stopped and wondered... wait... rolling green hills? In Morocco? In Africa? But that's what we had. And it was just as stunning the view of the city that was slowly revealing itself to us.
We eventually arrived at the ruins (first picture) and explored around. There wasn't much left of it save for a few walls and arches. A quick search on its history shows that it was built in the 14th century by the Marinid dysnasty (hence the name) which means that these ruins were about 700 years old. Crazy. Unfortunately, we weren't here for sunset or sunrise (not that it would've made a difference because of the clouds) but I can imagine this would've been an even more stunning view. If you've been here for this view for sunset, please do share! However, we were more than content with the view bestowed upon us of the City of Fes. We couldn't wait to go exploring once again within Fes' alleyways. But for a brief few hours we stood here and absorbed the view that we had, away from the craziness and the business of the city, even for a small moment.
The City of Fes, Morocco
Details
š | Fes, Morocco
š· | Samsung S8
šØ | Lightroom Mobile edits used
Over the next few weeks I'll be trekking through Morocco and I'll be share with you my thoughts, feelings, tips and warnings about visiting each place along the way. Being a photographer, I will be doing this while sharing my photos with all of you too! I sincerely hope you all enjoy.
Please do follow if you want to keep up with my travel through this wonderful country <3
Any upvotes or resteems are hugely appreciated! Much love, everybody.