El-Jamai Palace, 19th-century palace in Fez, Morocco
El-Jamai Palace is a 19th-century palace in the medina of Fez, sitting just below the Bab Guissa gate. The building is made up of several courtyards, floors covered in zellige mosaic tiles, hand-carved stucco walls, and Andalusian gardens with fountains.
The palace was built in 1879 by Grand Vizier Muhammad Ibn al-Arabi al-Jami'i during the reign of Sultan Moulay Hassan. From 1919 it served as a hotel and was restored several times in the following decades.
The palace sits at the edge of the Bab Guissa quarter, where craftspeople in small workshops still use the same techniques as centuries ago. Visitors who walk through the surrounding lanes can watch carpenters, plasterers, and tile workers at their craft.
The palace is inside the medieval city walls and is best reached on foot through the medina lanes. It is worth checking access in advance, as the building can sometimes be closed for renovations or private events.
The palace garden contains plant species originally brought from Andalusia by Muslims and Jews who fled to Morocco after being expelled from Spain in the 15th century. This botanical connection makes the garden a living trace of that migration.
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