Bab Ftouh

Bab Ftouh is an early 13th-century Almohad city gate on the southern edge of the Fès el-Bali medina. The Almohad dynasty, a Berber Islamic movement that dominated North Africa and Iberia, reinforced Fès with a network of fortified gates of which Bab Ftouh is among the most intact survivors. Historically it served as the southern exit of the medina and stood adjacent to one of the city's major burial grounds, which remains active today. The gate has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina since 1981. Passing through it today brings visitors into a quieter, less-touristed quarter where daily neighborhood life — small workshops, local produce stalls — continues largely unchanged.