Lively and hospitable, Fès does not give up its secrets easily. From the surrounding hilltops where the Merinid tombs seem to slumber, a shimmering sea of green copper roofs rises above the sun-splashed city walls. Hidden behind this anonymity is a heritage that is only sometimes revealed to travelers. Because it took generations of architects to build it, artisans devoted their lives to embellish it, poets dedicated their most beautiful verses to it. Fès has always remained itself, even when conquered and has always been able to rise above the challenges of the times to again become a place of great spirituality.

Fès for many centuries has been the political and intellectual capital of Morocco, and became a centre of encounter and exchange. It is said that Sylvestre II (Gerbert d'Aurillac) who was Pope from 999 to 1003, stayed here in his youth to study, and later introduced Arabic numerals into Europe. Maïmonides, the Jewish physician and philosopher, also lived here for some years during which he taught at the Qaraouine University. The works of this philosopher are a wonderful illustration of the symbiosis that existed in Andalusia between Jewish and Islamic cultures, and a similar echo is found in Fès.

During the centuries of cultural expansion, we find other great figures who lived in Fès, particularly the mystic and metaphysician Ibn Arabi (d. 1377), the sociologist Ibn Khaldoun (d. 1382) and the mathematician Ibn Al Banna (d. 1321).  The Qaraouine University is graced with a rich library containing many manuscripts on religion, philosophy, cosmology and natural sciences. Teachers at the University have always had access to considerable private libraries, either through family tradition or personal acquisition. Even today, there is a manuscript market on Sunday mornings in a little street next to the University, where rare and precious specimens can still be found.

The Fès Festival of World Sacred Music and the Fès Forum, founded respectively in 1994 and 2001, are dedicated to presenting and exploring the traditions of knowledge, art and spirituality not just of the city but the whole world.

Since their creation, these events have become increasingly successful.  In 2001,the Fès Festival was honored by the United Nations as one of the seven major world events contributing in remarkable fashion to the dialogue between civilizations. In 2006, the Geneva based Ousseimi Foundation awarded the organization the Ousseimi Prize for Tolerance.  The 2005 prize was given to Nelson Mandela.

The Festival’s international popularity and support has created a global network of  activity, support and  great media interest. Through events organized by the Spirit of Fès network the humanitarian message radiates out from Fès to other parts of the world.  Many other cities have become relay-stations to spread the message of the Festival and the Forum further: that of interfaith music conversations, activities that create a culture of peace.  Above all else, more humane globalization that is respectful of ethical and spiritual values.

The next Fès Festival of World Sacred Music and Fès Forum is planned for May 25 - June 3, 2007.