Why visit
- Bab Bou Jeloud is the postcard entrance to the Fez medina: a 1913 French-era ceremonial gate sheathed in blue zellij outside and green inside, with three pointed horseshoe arches framing the minarets of Bou Inania and Sidi Lazzaz beyond.
Bab Bou Jeloud (Blue Gate)
Fez1913 ceremonial gateway to Fes el-Bali
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- Built 1913 by the French Protectorate (planning began December 1912)
- Replaced — but did not demolish — a 12th-century defensive gate beside it
- Outer façade: blue zellij; inner façade: green zellij
The triple-arched Bab Bou Jeloud was built by the French Protectorate in 1913 to create a grander entrance to the old medina, replacing a simpler 12th-century gate that still stands closed beside it. Its outer face is sheathed in blue zellij; the inner face is green.
What to expect
- A pedestrian gateway opening directly onto Talaa Kebira and Talaa Sghira. The small Place Bou Jeloud just inside has cheap restaurants, juice stalls and the start of most walking tours.
Best time
- Late afternoon for golden light on the blue tiles from outside; early morning for green-tile light from inside. Both faces are floodlit at night.
Price range
- Free: Bab Bou Jeloud is a city gate and the main pedestrian entrance to Fes el-Bali. There is no ticket office, no fee and no closing time — you simply walk through it, at any hour.
- The only money that changes hands here is what you spend at the cafés facing the gate, and anything you choose to give a guide. Nobody has the right to charge you to pass under the arches.
Practical tips
- Cars cannot enter the medina here — drop-off is on Place Bou Jeloud. Use the gate as your reference point: most riads inside the western medina describe their location relative to it.
Location
Fez
FAQs
Its exterior face is decorated with cobalt-blue zellij — the colour traditionally associated with Fez. The inner face, visible only once you've passed through, is green, the colour of Islam.
No. The current gate dates to 1913. The original 12th-century gate, designed with defensive bent angles, still stands immediately beside it but is closed to traffic.
Once through, a small square opens onto Talaa Kebira and Talaa Sghira — the two main streets that thread through Fes el-Bali, lined with cafés, juice stands and Bou Inania Madrasa within five minutes.
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