A Night in the Medina: an innovation for the Fes Festival

The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music has come up with an innovative idea this year - a Night in the Medina, where you can wander from one concert to another as you please, at various magnificent palaces and monuments.

Mongolian overtone/undertone singer Enkhjargal Dandarvaanchig, or Epi

From 20h00 on Monday 7 June, you can choose one, two or any number of the seven concerts that will take place throughout the medina and beyond. The venues include the Batha Museum, the festival headquarters Dar Pacha Tazi, Dar Mokri, the music conservatory Dar Adiyel and the Ben Danan Synagogue museum in the Mellah.

There will be a different artist at each venue. You might, for example, like to see the Mongolian Epi playing his 'horsehead fiddle' or morin hoor and singing his amazing overtone/undertone chants.

You might prefer Sufi songs from Afghanistan with Ustad Gholam Hossain, Iranian sitar and tombak (drum) with Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, or even Sufi music and dance from Luxor with Les Musiciens du Nil.

Iranian Kiya Tabassian

The Festival office has not yet let us know which artist will be at which venue. And admittedly, it's quite a way from the Ben Danan Synagogue to Dar Adiyel, so careful choosing is required. We'd suggest groupings of venues such as the Synagogue/Batha Museum/Dar Pacha Tazi, or Dar Mokri/Dar Adiyel. If anyone manages to get to all seven venues in the course of the evening, let us know!

If you're coming to Fez for the festival, Fez Riads has accommodation in traditional medina guesthouses at various prices, and a ticket-collection service where your festival tickets are delivered straight to your guesthouse.