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Unlike Fes El Bali, whose development and growth seems to have been almost organic, Fes El Djedid - "Fes the New" - was an entirely planned city, built by the Merenids at the beginning of their rule, as both a practical and symbolic seat of government. The work was begun around 1273 by the dynasty's second ruling sultan, Abou Youssef, and in a manic feat of building was completed within three years. The capital for much of its construction came from taxes levied on the Meknes olive presses; the Jews were also taxed to build a new grand mosque; and the labour, at least in part, was supplied by Spanish Christian slaves. The site which the Merenids chose for their city lies some distance from Fes El Bali. In the chronicles this is presented as a strategic move for the defence of the city, though it is hard to escape the conclusion that its main function was as a defence of the new dynasty against the Fassis themselves. It was not an extension for the people, in any real sense, being occupied largely by the Dar el Makhzen , a vast royal palace, and by a series of army garrisons. With the addition of the Mellah - the Jewish ghetto - at the beginning of the fourteenth century, this process was continued. Forced out of Fes El Bali following one of the periodic pogroms, the Jews could provide an extra barrier (and scapegoat) between the sultan and his Muslim faithful, as well as a useful and close-to-hand source of income. Over the centuries, Fes El Djedid's fortunes have generally followed those of the city as a whole. It was extremely prosperous under the Merenids and Wattasids, fell into decline under the Saadians, lapsed into virtual ruin during Moulay Ismail's long reign in Meknes, but revived with the commercial expansion of the nineteenth century - at which point the walls between the old and new cities were finally joined. At the close of the nineteenth century, the Encyclopedia Britannica noted of Fes that: "The Jews suffer great persecutions and many indignities, but many of them continue to amass money." Events last century, largely generated by the French Protectorate, have left Fes El Djedid greatly changed and somewhat moribund. As a "government city", it had no obvious role after the transfer of power to Rabat - a vacuum which the French filled by establishing a huge quartier reserve (red-light district) in the area around the Grand Mosque. This can have done little for the city's identity, but it was not so radical or disastrous as the immediate aftermath of independence in 1956. Concerned about their future status, and with their position made untenable by the Arab-Israeli war, virtually all of the Mellah's 17,000 Jewish population emigrated to Israel, Paris or Casablanca; today only a few Jewish families remain in the Mellah, though there is still a small community in the Ville Nouvelle. The Jewish Community Centre (tel 05/562 2446) is at 24 Rue Zerktouni, opposite the copse which faces the Splendid Hotel ; the current president of the community is Dr Guigui (tel 05/562 3039). With his help, or that of others at the centre, you could learn more about the community - or about the old synagogues in Fes El Djedid. Generally speaking, Moroccan Jews are well thought of and, at any one time, several hold high office in the  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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government. Similarly, Moroccan Jews who play leading roles in Israel are noted with pride. At the same time, however, it was reported that recently a Fes hotel turned Israeli tourists away; we have omitted it from our list. You can reach Fes El Djedid in a ten-minute walk from Bab Boujeloud , or from the Ville Nouvelle by walking up or taking a bus (#2 from Place de la Resistance, aka La Fiat) to Place des Alaouites and Bab Semarine beside the Mellah.
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