Bab Ftouh

Bab Ftouh stands as a massive, fifteen-meter-tall gateway on the southeastern edge of the old city, Fes el-Bali. Distinguished by a large horseshoe arch flanked by two rectangular towers, this structure serves as a direct, straight passage into the medina, departing from the bent-entry design common to many other medieval city gates. Its name is tied to Ftouh ibn Dounas, a Zenata emir who ruled the area in the mid-eleventh century and built the original gate on this site during a period when the city was split into two rival settlements.