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Photo: Abdel Hassouni, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A large religious complex that has evolved since the 9th century into a famous center of learning. Non-Muslims cannot enter, but the courtyard and the prayer hall are partly visible from the mosque's doorways. (Doors are more likely to be open on Fridays.) Its historic library is housed in an annex on the south side of the mosque, off Place Seffarine.
The University of al-Qarawiyyin, also written Al-Karaouine or Al Quaraouiyine, is a university located in Fez, Morocco. It was founded as a mosque by Fatima al-Fihri in 857–859 and subsequently became one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the Islamic Golden Age. It was incorporated into Morocco's modern state university system in 1963 and officially renamed "University of Al Quaraouiyine" two years later. The mosque building itself is also a significant complex of historical Moroccan and Islamic architecture that features elements from many different periods of Moroccan history.
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Another former religious college open to visit, much smaller but just as richly decorated as the Bou Inania Madrasa. Built by the Marinid sultan Uthman II Abu Said in 1323-5.
The tomb of Fez's founder. Entrance is limited to Muslims, but the view from just outside its doors is still well-worth hunting down.
Sidi Ahmad al-Tijani is the founder of the Tijaniyya Sufi order. He was born in a Berber family in Aïn Madhi in Algeria, and died in Fez at the age of 80.
Funduq al-Najjariyyin
Museum of wooden arts and crafts. Many historic items presented in beautiful and spacious Fondouk. The museum has a nice rooftop cafe.
Quartier des tanneurs / Chouara Tannery
In the midst of the maze-like medina are the colorful leather-dying pits. Any number of young boys will offer to guide you to them: just listen for "you want to see the tanneries?" The tour is free (though it is appropriate to offer 1-5 dirham to your "guide").
There is no chance of getting to see the tanneries by yourself, instead, be prepared for physical abuse for even trying! However, just 10 m left of the entrance is a leather shop that offers views to the tannery free of charge and you can see it all from the balcony. Expect to be pressured into buying goods from the shop in return.
It is possible to get into the tannery itself, hang around near the entrance until someone offers to take you in for 10 dirham. He will get you past the entrance and then you can wander in among the workers. A word of advice: wear closed shoes and maybe bring a mint leaf to sniff if you have a weak stomach.
The tanneries in the medina features leather-making techniques unchanged since the Middle Ages. Men walk the narrow paths between huge vats of lye and colorful dyes, water wheels creak as the leather is rinsed, and buildings facing the tannery are covered with pelts hanging to dry. Visit early in the morning before the sun hits the tannery and the stench sets in. Note that there is also Sidi Moussa Tannery in the medina, which is smaller and located about 700 m southeast of Chouara Tannery.
Dates back to the inception of the city in the 9th century, with the completion of the foundation in 859-860. This makes it one of the oldest mosques in the world. The mosque had been renovated and expanded several times since then. Today, it is one of the relatively few remaining Idrisid-era establishments and the main landmarks of the city. Off-limits to non-Muslims.