Wonders of Fez

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak

Learning Curve: Perspective

New Sunday Times - 31-03-2013

 

RICH IN HISTORY: Modern life can learn from the past

 

SOME places are steeped in history. Bruges near Brussels is one such city in Europe listed as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Heritage Site although by the 15th century, the waterway linking it to the sea silted up and it experienced economic decline.

 

Fez in Morocco has the same claim to fame. It is also a historic city centre included in the same listing. In particular, the old Fez, or Fas el Bali and its medina (city), is believed to be the world's largest car-free urban area.

 

This is not surprising because narrow interconnected passages and alleys of old remain intact and vibrant.

 

They were meant for mules and horses -- the mode of transport then -- although small trucks and tractors are also making their presence felt now.

 

Fez is said to evolve around Al-Qarawiyyin, the oldest continuously functioning madrasa in the world. It has been variously called Mecca of the West and Athens of Africa.

 

Al-Qarawiyyin mosque

 

The founder of Fez, Moulay Idriss, has been said to make this supplication: "Almighty God, make of it a house of Science and wisdom, so that in it your book may always be read and your laws always observed." He is believed to be of Prophet Muhammad's lineage.

 

Founded in 859 CE, the madrasa was established by Fatima Al-Fihria who was inspired by the city of Qairouan in modern Tunisia.

 

From modest beginnings, Fez grew into a city with a prestigious mosque that houses the first university in the world according to UNESCO.

 

Al-Qarawiyyin University is considered a doyen of some of the reputable tertiary institutions in Europe including Bologna in Italy.

 

Al-Qarawiyyin University has survived until today based on a waqf concept connecting the cultures of learning in Andalusia, notably Cordoba, Granada, Toledo and Seville that were great knowledge centres themselves.

 

Some of the architectural marvels and cultural influences of these places are still prominently displayed in Fez.

 

Surrounding Al-Qarawiyyin University are other madrasas that provide shelter and support for those who came in search of knowledge. Madrasa Mesbahiya is one of the more recent and largest in Fez that serves this purpose.

 

Close by is a library that keeps rare manuscripts such as the famous Al-Muwatta of Malik written on gazelle parchment; Sirat Ibn Ishaq, a copy of the Quran given by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in 1602; and the original copy of Ibn Khaldun's book Al-'Ibar. It also has volumes of work by Ibn Rushd (Averroes).

 

By 1613, it has also some 320,000 volumes, a testament to its status as an intellectual and spiritual city.

 

Its alumni included 16th century Moroccan adventurer Leo Africanus and Christians, Maimonides and Jews.

 

The 12th century cartographer Mohammed al-Idrisi, whose maps aided European exploration during the Renaissance, is said to have lived in Fez for some time, suggesting that he may have worked or studied at the university.

 

It was under the Almohad rule that the city grew to become the largest in the world for a brief period.

 

By late 12th century, an estimated 200,000 people lived there. In the early 13th century, it was described as "a grand city" for the first time.

 

Fez is a city within concentric circles with religious institutions such as Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque-University at its heart.

 

This spreads out into clusters of souks and commercial places ranging from tanneries to textile weaving and pottery-making outlets.

 

Then come the living quarters and residential areas, followed by walls with various gates (babs) surrounding the city as the last concentric. Beyond the walls of the medina are vegetable plots, gardens and cemeteries (including that of Jews).

 

All these are connected to the 11th- and 12th-century water system that still receives supply from rivers and natural fountains today. Generally, water is considered a waqf for public use.

 

Well-decorated drinking fountains (mida) and places for ablution (dar al oudou) are common features, indeed a heritage, in the medina.

 

Such is the richness of Fez which serves as a reminder that the past has much to offer modern life, with waqf as a vibrant concept that must be rejuvenated yet again.

 

- The writer is the vice-chancellor of the Albukhary International University