28 May The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music : The Quest for the Al-Andalous Spirit
An important diary date for visitors to Fez is the annual Festival of World Sacred Music. It takes place this year from May 24 to June 01st. Featuring concerts, debates, and joint performances of Muslim and Christian devotional music from artists from all over the world.
Morocco has for years been opening its arms to musicians from all over the world.
The festival this year features a wide range of artists, including Sami Yusuf, Mohan Bhatt the master of the Indian guitar, the great diva Kim Burrell, and others.
The event also pay tribute to Moroccan Sufi music through various performances, including the Sufi Nigh at the Jnan Sbil Garden.
Faouzi Skali, the president of the Spirit of Fez Foundation has established the festival in 1994. To build bridges and promote better understanding between cultures and faiths .
The different locations of Concerts:
For 10 days, visitors from many countries will gather in Morocco’s spiritual and cultural capital. Celebrating a feast of musical offerings in fascinatingly diverse venues.
The 3,500-seat Bab Makina – a parade ground attached to the Royal Palace surrounded by castellated walls. The Andalusian Garden of Batha Museum hosts
afternoon concerts and some evening ones as well.
The organisers designate the Batha as the emotional heart of the Festival.
For three evenings, visitors roam the alleyways of the Medina, the old city and the largest of its kind in the world.
Many international visitors choose to join the citizens of Fez who gather in their thousands at Place Boujloud for the free concerts staged as the Festival in the City.
The city has the oldest university in the Arab and Muslim world, al-Qarawyeen. Lastly,it’s fitting that the festival has been described as a “spiritual Davos”.
Alongside the daily concerts, Western and North African writers, artists and academics meet every morning to debate various aspects related to the role of the sacred in society and the arts.