Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate)

Bab Bou Jeloud, known as the Blue Gate, is the principal western entrance to Fes el-Bali, the old walled medina of Fes in Morocco's Fès-Meknès region. The gate seen today was built in 1913, early in the French protectorate, replacing an older Almohad-era gateway, and was designed in a Moorish-revival style by the French architect Maurice Tranchant de Lunel, who headed the protectorate's fine arts service. It consists of a triple opening with horseshoe arches framed by decorative zellige tiles. The outer face is covered in blue glazed tiles, the traditional colour of Fes, while the inner face, which looks into the medina, is green, the colour associated with Islam. Calligraphic inscriptions and geometric patterns decorate the spandrels and the tiled band above the arches. The gate opens onto Place Bou Jeloud, a busy square lined with cafés, stalls and restaurants, from where the two main medina thoroughfares, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Sghira, run down toward the Qarawiyyin quarter. Nearby stand the Bou Inania Madrasa and the Boujloud Gardens and the Dar Batha Museum is a short walk away. The gate is open at all hours and is one of the most photographed monuments in the city, particularly at dusk when it is lit. It serves as the usual starting point for visits to the medina and as a meeting place for guides, and the open terrace cafés nearby offer an overview of the gate. Although it is less than two centuries old, it represents the long tradition of Fassi tilework and has become an emblem of the city. The square becomes lively in the evening with food stalls and street performers, and the gate stands next to the old Merenid wall that encloses the medina.