The View from Fez - Our 9th Birthday!

This week, back in November 2005, The View from Fez posted its first story and, at the time, we were amazed that we actually had anyone viewing our posts. Now, nine years on, we celebrate having posted 4,500 stories, 4,577, 279 page views and more than a million and a half (1,541,095) regular readers in 40 countries across the world.

The majority of writing and photography on The View From Fez is by Sandy McCutcheon and Suzanna Clarke. Over the last few years we have been fortunate enough to have a large number of contributors, guest writers, photographers, visiting journalists, musicologists and interns. This has allowed us to provide the most complete coverage of events such as the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture and the Amazigh Festival. Our thanks to you all.

Gratitude is also due to the generous support of our sponsors and readers who have made it possible for The View from Fez to assist a number of young Moroccans with serious medical or emotional problems, as well as to provide support for education and training.

The View From Fez team covering the 2013 Fes Festival - Sandy McCutcheon, 
Natasha Christov, Suzanna Clarke, Stephanie Clifford-Smith and Vanessa Bonnin

What our readers and contributors have to say: 

"The View From Fez is THE reference in terms of cultural information in Fez and the region, and it would be hard to live without it! It's the only serious and reliable source for interesting information for this region of Morocco."  Philippe Laleu, director of the French Institute in Fez

"Happy Birthday to The View From Fez! The View From Fez was the first English language blog devoted to Morocco and is still the best way to keep up with what is happening in Fez. It started out as The View From Fés, and I remember the heated debate trying to convince Sandy to change it to Fez." David Amster, director of the American Language Center, Fez

"THE VIEW FROM FEZ captures the many interwoven layers of Morocco's most magical city in the rarest and most extraordinary of ways. Highly recommended for explorers and armchair travellers alike." Tahir Shah, author and filmmaker - http://www.tahirshah.com/

"By far the most interesting blog about Morocco run by people passionate about this country in all its aspects."  Frédéric Sola - Riad Laaroussa, Fez Medina

"Happy Birthday to The View from Fez! One of my favourite Blogs as it lifts me out of my world and places me in a another world that is so different, so vibrant, so fascinating. Keep transporting me. Here’s to another 9 years of The View from Fez." Lisa Clifford, writer, Florence, Italy - http://www.lisacliffordwriter.com/

"As an expat in Fez I find the blog a fantastic source of what's going on, in the arts, travel ideas, news roundups... I also use the search engine a lot when I want to find out about a particular subject. It helps me make sense of the world around me and inspires me to get to concerts, talks and openings." Sue Bail, Riad Manager Fez Medina

"Discovering The View from Fez was like finding a shortcut right into the heart of the city's cultural scene." Christina Ammon, Travel Writer, Colorado, USA

"The View from Fez was the first site I visited when I learned I would be traveling to Morocco. I scrolled through posts on zellig tile, recipes with argan oil, and photos of twirling Sufis in ecstatic dance. I was enthralled. The View from Fez is an enticing invitation and a knowledgeable guide to a dynamic city. Anna Elkins, Poet and Traveller, USA

"To share, to view, images from Fez on the blog helps one to be a traveler and an artist. The novelty of living in Morocco is kept fresh by sharing the experiences, the moments of light, with a larger readership. And The View from Fez allows me to share my view of Fez. A photo comes to life the more it is seen. Thanks TVFF."
Jake Warga, photographic contributor, JakeWarga.com Ifrane, Morocco

"The vibrant colors and intricacy of the zelij, the putrid and pleasant scent of the tanneries and tajines, the persistent warm welcomes and calls to prayer, the intertwining of French and Darija - the alchemy of it all bewitched me from the second I stepped through the keyhole gate into Fez. I didn't have to learn to love it. I just fell. Instantly. The day I left I already longed to return. I find myself drawn often to The View From Fez, where I browse photos and news of the faces and places that so charmed me. The spell is cast anew. Happy Birthday TVFF! Here's to many more. A bientôt!" Kimberley Lovato traveler, writer, champagne drinker. www.kimberleylovato.com San Francisco, USA

"A very happy ninth Birthday to the View from Fez, from Larry Marshall in Melbourne Australia. It was a privilege to work with the View from Fez on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. As a former colleague of Sandy’s from the ABC Radio National in Australia, I was really very proud to be contributing to the most acclaimed English language website on Moroccan issues, and on Fez in particular. The photos that came out of our work on the festival were truly beautiful and captured the breadth of talent on show in Fez. The team that worked to bring these stories to life were on a tight deadline and each morning saw a fresh series of reports on all that had happened the day and night before – this was exciting journalism which reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world." Larry Marshall, Australia

The View from Fez is one of the most important journalistic developments for Morocco in the last decade providing an intimate local view of the culture of Morocco. Happy 9th birthday and many happy returns.~ Frank Rynne, producer Master Musicians of Joujouka

SHARE THIS!