Introduction to Domestic Architecture in the Fez Medina. A Typical House in Fez: Dar: a house with a courtyard, often with two salons (beit, pl. biyout) downstairs facing each other, a fountain (saqaiya) made of zellij (zellige) mosaic on one wall, and a bartal (room without doors, open to the courtyard, for entertaining guests) opposite the fountain, which was originally spring-fed. Sometimes there is a marble fountain (khassa), instead of a saqaiya, in the center of the courtyard. The front door (bab-i-dar) consists of a large door, rarely used, and a smaller door inside the larger one for everyday use. There are two iron door-knockers (kharsa), one high up for those on horseback and a lower one for those on foot. There is a stylized hand of Fatima, to guard against the evil eye, and an indirect entrance, so that strangers couldn't see inside the house. The bab-i-dar is decorated with simple linear or geometric carving and large round nails that attach the planks to the inner door frame. There is always one or two sets of inner doors at the entrance for security privacy. The salons around the courtyard (wust-i-dar) are narrow and with very high ceilings, sometimes carved and painted. These salons, with low embroidered cushions all around the edge (these days the wool-filled cushions/mattresses are on wooden platforms), are multi-purpose: living room, dining room, bedroom. In most houses there would be few or no windows onto the street, and in older houses there would be no windows in the salons at all, only two large doors with smaller doors within them (bab b-dfaf). These doors would usually be carved and painted with geometric and floral designs. In the summer the large doors would be kept open and there would be embroidered or crocheted curtains for privacy; in the winter the doors would be closed and the smaller doors would be used. When there are windows in the salons, there are decorative iron grills and painted wooden shutters, and often semi-circular stained-glass windows above the larger windows. In more recent houses the large salon windows have glass, often clear glass surrounded by green, blue, red, and yellow stained glass (jej iraqi). On the ground floor is a kitchen (dwireeya, the diminutive of the diminutive of dar), and a squat toilet next to it, sometimes even inside the kitchen. Very strange by Western standards, but probably done to simplify plumbing. The kitchen was a very simple affair: a small stove to hold coals, sometimes a simple wall fountain (saqaiya), and an open skylight (mnkash) for air and exhaust, but no furniture except a low table; no countertops, no refrigerator, and usually no oven, since baked goods were taken to the local bakery (furn). Some houses have a well, and until recently spring water would flow constantly from the fountain in the courtyard and into the toilet. Even in the 12th century most Fez houses had running water flowing through terracotta pipes. Sadly, much of the traditional water system has been damaged, but many houses still have the original drainage pipes. Because some houses don't have water, or because it's expensive, some people still get water from public fountains. A very large house would have a hammam, or traditional bath. Most people, however, go once a week to the public hammam, even if they now have a shower at home. But in general hot water is still extremely rare in medina houses. There would normally be a second floor with two or more salons above those on the first floor, and several small rooms with low ceilings in-between the main floors for storage of grain, olives, and oil in large ceramic jars. Sometimes there's a small room with a discreet window, from which women could look when there were male strangers in the house. There is normally an upstairs kitchen and toilet, since the family would live downstairs in the summer and upstairs in the winter; or sometimes part of the extended family would live downstairs and another part upstairs. There is usually one or two sets of very narrow stairs leading to the upper rooms and terrace. The stairs are covered with zellij, but on the front edge of each stair is a cedar beam for traction. In older houses there is a balcony on one to four sides of the courtyard, but starting in the 19th century this was sometimes omitted to provide more light. The balcony (darbouz) would originally be made of an intricate wooden screen (masharabbi), but in the 19th century this was usually replaced with decorative ironwork. Older houses also had masharabbi with beautiful geometric patterns on the windows looking into the courtyard, but now this is extremely rare. The balcony and skylight structure (halka) are supported by crossbeams, or by two to twelve columns. In most houses the skylight is covered with an iron grill, for security against thieves and to keep children from falling in. On the roof level is a terrace and sometimes another large salon, the menzeh, for entertaining special guests. This would be the most beautiful room in the house, with a beautiful carved and painted ceiling, stained-glass windows made of carved plaster, and windows looking out onto the mountains or medina. From the terrace there is often a panoramic view, but in older houses there would be high walls to provide privacy, since this was the domain only of women until very recently. Women still use the terrace mainly for drying grain, wool, and clothing. It's rare for people to sit on the terrace, although on the hottest days of summer it's very common for the family to sleep on the roof. Other kinds of Houses: Dwira: a small house (the diminutive of dar), often with only one salon downstairs and one upstairs and a small courtyard and usually no pillars. Dar Bennis is an example of a dwira. Riad: a house with a garden in the center, usually with orange and lemon trees (the Arabic word riad means garden). The garden is sometimes in the center of the house, and sometimes the house is U-shaped with the garden on the fourth side. Many riads have salons only on one level, to provide more light for the garden. Massreiya: a guest house, often very ornate, attached to a larger house. On the ground floor there would usually be a stable or shop, above which are storage rooms, and then the massreiya on the top floors. The massreiya was for male guests, who would not normally be allowed to sleep in the main house, or sometimes for the eldest son and his friends, and later for his family. The term massreiya means Egyptian, probably because the Moroccan idea of an Egyptian house was that the main rooms were on the top floors, as opposed to a normal Moroccan house, which is centered around a courtyard on the ground floor. Kasr: a palace or very large house. Good examples in Fez are the Batha Museum (the sultan's palace in the late-19th century), Kasr Mnebbi on Talaa Sghira near Dar Bennis, Palais Mokri, and the Glaoui Palace in Ziat. Traditional Building Materials and Decoration. The walls of houses in Fez are made of lime (jeer), sand, (raml), and bricks (liyajoor beldi). Cement was never used in traditional building. The lime and sand mixture needs to cure for some time to be strong (it used to be that you would prepare the lime and sand before going on pilgrimage to Mecca, and it would be ready when you got back), which is part of the reason many people no longer want to use these materials. The advantage of using lime is that the walls breathe, which makes the houses cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. In addition, cracks in walls made with lime are said to be able to heal themselves in time. The outer walls of houses were finished with medluk, made of extremely fine sand, lime (jeer), egg white, and sabon beldi (traditional soft soap made from olive by-products). Medluk develops a beautiful marbled effect over time. Simple geometric patterns are sometimes pressed or carved into the medluk. In Marrakech this mixture is called tadlakt, which is slightly fi...

You will be greeted and shown to Dar Bennis by Hafid, the manager of Dar Bennis, who has been involved in restoration of houses in the Fes medina for several years. Both he and the owner, David Amster, are very happy to answer any questions you might have about the house, Fes, or restoration of the medina, and are always available via cell phone. Time permitting, David is happy to show you the restoration being done on his house, Dar Lebbar. The house has a local phone and Internet account for those with a portable computer. Long-distance and cell-phone calls can be made by using a phone card, which Hafid can buy for you. Please note that to contact us during your stay you will need to use a phone card or call from a teleboutique. If you don't have a computer with you, there is a cybercafe near Dar Bennis. Housekeeping Linen Service. The house will be cleaned daily. Linen service is included; for other laundry, Hafid can take it to have it washed and ironed. There is also an iron and ironing board in the house. Moroccan houses are generally well-insulated and comfortable most of the year, but there are are convection space heaters and fans in each bedroom to keep you comfortable. You should be aware, however, that winters in Fes can be cold and rainy, and that there's no central heating in the house. It's best to bring warm winter clothes and to wear layers in winter. The cedar windows of Dar Bennis are traditional in design, but most have been fitted with double-pane glass for further insulation and to help keep down noise from children playing in the street. A Moroccan breakfast of fresh traditional breads and pastries is included. For other meals you can eat at one of the many restaurants in the medina or Ville Nouvelle, cook for yourself in the well-equipped kitchen, or have meals prepared by our cook, Layla, for a small fee. Layla can also teach you how to make traditional Moroccan dishes. Hafid is happy to buy you groceries in the souk, or else show you the nearest souks and bakery. We will meet you in Batha, a convenient place to enter the medina, and your bags will be transported in a carrousa to Dar Bennis. You can get from and to the Fes airport in a grand taxi for 120-150 dirhams (~$15). For day trips to Berber villages in the mountains, Meknes, or Roman Volubilis there is good public transportation, or we can recommend a driver with a grand taxi. You can ask Hafid to arrange this for you. If you bring your own car, there is an underground parking garage in the Batha area, near Hotel Batha. There are three bedrooms, two large rooms with double beds, and one smaller room with a single bed. Each room looks into the courtyard, but also has an outside window, which offers good light and ventilation. The mattresses and linens are of high quality, and the beds are covered with antique hendiras, hand-woven and embroidered shawls Berber mothers make for their daughters' wedding day. There's also a CD player (and a selection of Moroccan music) in the main bedroom, so feel free to bring your favorite CDs or cassettes. Traditional in design, but with all the modern conveniences. Plenty of dishes and high-quality cookware. You can dine here, in the courtyard, or on the terrace. Modern and comfortable, but still very Moroccan. Because the bathroom is downstairs, you may want to bring slippers and a bathrobe, at least in the winter. One of the finest views in Fes: mountains, the medina, 14th century Merinid tombs, the medieval walls of the city, and of course, thousands of satellite dishes! A very pleasant place to spend an evening with a bottle of excellent wine from Meknes. Please note that because Dar Bennis is built on several levels, it would not be appropriate for someone with difficulty going up and down stairs. In such a case, we'd be more than happy to suggest another traditional house or riad in Fes that would better meet your needs.