Saturday, December 24, 2005

Why buy a house in Fès ?

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

The Fès Sacred Music Festival

Link: All the information you need about The Fès Sacred Music Festival

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Dar Bennis



If you have the good fortune to visit Fès, then don't waste the opportunity. Instead of staying in a large Western hotel, enjoy the real Medina by staying in a riad.

A good friend of mine has spent over four years restoring a beautiful riad called Dar Bennis. He has used only traditional craftsmanship and materials so this is not a "fake". Dar Bennis is a small 18th century traditional Moroccan house in the heart of the Fès Medina, on a small street just off the Talaa Sghira, the main business street of the medieval quarter of Fès. And of course my friend will organise to have you met and guided to the house, so, no problems!

Although a modest house by Fès standards, it features hand-painted and natural cedar ceilings, windows and doors, carved plasterwork, stained glass windows, decorative ironwork, handmade zellij mosaic floors, and a rooftop terrace with an amazing panoramic view of the Fès Medina and surrounding mountains. The house is simply decorated, to accent the beauty of the architecture, with antique and handmade furniture and textiles. I have visited it several times and just love the atmosphere.

One of the main advantages of Dar Bennis as a holiday rental property, compared to a bed and breakfast, maison d'hotes (guest house), or larger riad, is having the complete house to yourself. This is a real advantage! Dar Bennis is also older than most riads and traditional hotels available in Fès, which date to the early 20th century and are located on the outskirts of the Medina. Because Dar Bennis is deeper in the Medina, the guest gets a real sense of what it's like living in the Medina, with its joys and challenges.

Anyway - check it out at the link below.

Link:Dar Bennis

Tags:

Arabic Language Classes


The Arabic Language Institute in Fès (ALIF) offers three and six-week courses in all levels of Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic throughout the year.

ALIF also has an excellent reputation as the preeminent institution in the Maghreb for the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language. Housed in a large, shady villa, ALIF provides an ideal setting for studying in Morocco's "intellectual capital", and for exploring the historic medina of Fès, one of the world's few remaining medieval cities.

The Institute's teachers are highly qualified native speakers with years of experience instructing both independent students and study abroad groups from major universities. Former students include translators, Fulbright, FLAS, NSEP, and SSRC grantees, company representatives, and graduate students from major universities in the US and Europe.

ALIF resources include an extensive library collection focusing on Arabic linguistics, the Maghreb, Islamic Art and Architecture, and Islam. In addition to language courses, ALIF offers cultural tours, lectures, and classes on Maghrebi literature, media and Islam. Private courses in any number of subject areas can be arranged. The modest ALIF tuition, low cost of living in Morocco, and widely available discount air fares, also render ALIF a cost-effective alternative for the study of Arabic abroad or domestically.

If you would like to contact them for more information you will find them extremely helpful and (as I found out) very friendly! The View From Fès weblog highly recomends ALIF!

The Arabic Language Institute in Fez, B.P. 2136, Fez 30000, Morocco
Tel: (212/55) 62 48 50 Fax: (212/55) 93 16 08
email: alifez@menara.ma


Tags: