From Berber State to Moroccan Empire: The Glory of Fez Under the Marinids

Medieval Fez was a main center of education, art, and commerce from the 13th to the 16th centuries after the Berber tribe of the Marīnids seized power in Morocco and moved the capital from Marrakesh to Fez. As non-Arabs they gained legitimacy by founding medresas, religious universities. They also supported the arts and commerce, and expanded their state into an empire. It was the Golden Age of Fez. Maya Shatzmiller draws a historical panorama of this era, highlighting its movers and shakers in locations from North Africa to the Mediterranean world.