Zawiya of Moulay Idris II

The Zawiya of Moulay Idris II is the spiritual heart of Fes el-Bali. It holds the tomb of Idris II, who ruled Morocco from 807 to 828 and is traditionally regarded as the founder and patron saint of the city. The site began as a 9th-century mosque, and in 1437 a body identified as that of Idris II was found during restoration work, although modern historians question the details. The building took most of its present form when Sultan Moulay Ismail rebuilt it between 1717 and 1720, and it was extended and restored several times afterwards, most recently between 2011 and 2014.

Non-Muslims cannot enter the shrine, but they can approach its doors and walk around the outside, and even from the threshold there is a lot to see. Glimpses through the entrances reveal zellij tiles, carved stucco, marble columns and a large wooden dome, and the tomb itself sits beneath a gilded wooden canopy. The green-tiled pyramidal roof is visible from viewpoints across the medina, and the minaret is the tallest in the old city. On the outside of the south wall, a grilled window faces the tomb, where passers-by stop for a short prayer and drop coins into an alms slot.

The shrine remains a living place of pilgrimage. Visitors come from all over Morocco to seek blessings, and once a year the city's craft guilds march in procession to the mausoleum during the moussem, a festival in honour of the saint, bringing gifts that include a textile embroidered with Qur'anic verses to drape over the tomb.

Approach respectfully: dress modestly, avoid photographing worshippers at close range, and step aside when people are entering or leaving. Until 1912 non-Muslims and pack animals were barred from the surrounding sacred precinct, the horm. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to take in the exterior, though it is easy to linger.

The zawiya lies in the centre of Fes el-Bali, with the Kissaria, the covered textile and clothing bazaar, to its east between the shrine and the Qarawiyyin. The Nejjarine Museum and the Al-Attarine Madrasa are each a few minutes' walk away, so it fits naturally into a route along the lower part of Tala'a Kebira.