Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate)

Three types of urban heritage will be discovered here: a public esplanade, a monumental gate, and the building of the original Fez water supply network. Place Boujloud is an esplanade that once hosted storytellers, public entertainers, snake charmers, as well as other entertainments. It is bordered by historical ramparts and the prestigious Lycée Moulay Driss (High School). It has been recently rehabilitated and opened to the public for their leisurely stroll. Below the esplanade, the monumental Bab Boujloud Gate still provides direct access to the Medina. Built only at the beginning of the 20^th century (1913) by the municipality, the gate attracts attention by its delicate arabesque and knot work ornamentations; they are blue on the exterior façade and green on the interior one. It is composed of a central arch and two small side arches. Next to the gate, visitors can discover the ancient water distributor, the cornerstone of the Medina’s water supply network. It was developed by the Almoravids in the 11^th century and attained perfection by the Merinids, who brought water from the Fez wadi (river) to the Qaraouiyne side in the 13^th and 14^th centuries. Composed of several underground entrances, which are made of ceramic cylinders inserted into one another, forming a complex underground network. Since the 11^th century, mosques, madrasahs, fondouks (inns), hammams, fountains, and most of the wealthy homes in Fez had access to running water.