FEZ 
347 
F E Z 
to gain adm'fffton. The fituation of Fez is remarkable For 
its Angularity ; it is feated at the bottom of a valley, and 
fnrrounded by hills in the form of a funnel, flattened at 
the narrow end. The upper part of the valley is divided 
into gardens, planted with high trees, orange-groves, and 
orchards. A river winds along the valley, watering it in 
various direftions, turning by its declivity a number of 
mills, and fupplying water in abundance to all the gar¬ 
dens and mod of the houfes. On the height of Old Fez 
is a plain capable of great cultivation. Jacob Ben-Ab- 
dallah, of the race of Beni-Merins, built, in the thirteenth 
century, New Fez, contiguous to the Old, and, by its 
fituation, keeping the latter in awe. The-high town, 
which is well fituated, contains fome old palaces, in which 
the fons of the emperor live. The New Town is inha¬ 
bited by fome Moorifli families, but by ftill more Jews, 
who trade with Old Fez, notwithftanding the contempt 
with which they are treated by the inhabitants : this con¬ 
tempt they endeavour to find a recompence for in their 
gains. Mr. Curtis, furgeon to the einbaffy to Morocco 
under general O’Hara, in 1S01, defcribes the ftate of this 
city as follows : “ The flreets of the city of Fez are un¬ 
comfortably narrow, almoft every one of them is arched 
over, and a foot deep in duft during fnmmer, and in dirt 
during the winter feafon. One cannot wonder at the ef¬ 
fects of contagious diftempers in fo large a city, in which 
the inhabitants are thus clofely confined, and compelled 
to breathe infected air. If a perfon were to propofe any 
falutary methods of checking them, he would be confi- 
dered as a madman, and as long as the putrid effluvia is 
confined, it would be folly to adminifter any medicines; 
befides that, it is certain they would not take them. Their 
ordinary language is, If we are to have a plague, nothing 
can prevent it, and we mud die. Every ftreet of Fez has 
a gate, which is regularly (but at fun-fet; and as they are 
likewife fnrrounded with walls, no perfon can be admitted 
after that hour. During the laft awful■ vifitation, the city 
of Morocco was totally deferted ; the plague carried off 
three hundred thoufand of its inhabitants; above three 
thoufand five hundred perfons died daily during the fpace 
of nventy-feven davs. Thofe who could afford to give 
from ten to twenty ducats, buried their parents and rela¬ 
tives ; but at Fez they were thrown over the neighbour¬ 
ing mountains, to the number of three or four thoufand 
at a time, and the bodies were covered with the fands 
which abound on them. The city of Fez loft one hun¬ 
dred and feventy thoufand perfons, principally young men, 
women, and children; but the more aged men and wo¬ 
men efcaped.”— Fez is laid to contain at prefent 800,000 
perfons: 200 miles north-north-eaft of Morocco. Lat. 
34. 4. N. Ion. 12. 10. E. Ferro. 
FEZ'Z AN, a kingdom of Africa, placed in tire middle 
of a vaft wildernefs, as an ifland in the midft of the ocean ; 
containing near a hundred towns and villages, of which 
Mourzouk is the capital; diftant, fouth, from Mefurata, 
about 390 miles. In this kingdom, are to be feen fome 
venerable remains of ancient magnificence, fome diftrifts 
of remarkable fertility, and numerous hot fmoaking lakes, 
producing a fpecies of foffil alkali called trona. Agricul¬ 
ture and pafturage are the principal occupations of the 
Fezzanners: they do not appear to have any coin: their 
medium of commerce is gol'd-duft : their houfes, or rather 
huts, are built of clay, and are covered with branches of 
trees, on which earth is laid. As rain never falls at 
Fezzan, this covering is a fufficient protection. Their 
drefs relembles that of the Moors of Barbary : but, during 
the heats of fummer, which are intenle, they only wear 
drawers, and a cap to protect their heads from the imme¬ 
diate action of the (tin. The population of Fezzan, ac¬ 
cording to Mr. Horneman, who vifived this kingdom in 
1798, confifts of about 70,000 perfons : all without excep¬ 
tion profeffmg the Mohammedan religion. The manners 
of the women are not very correct ; the common food is 
dates; and a rich man at Mourzouk “ is one who eats 
bread and meat every day.” The commerce of Fezzan 
is confiderable, but confifts merely of foreign merchan¬ 
dize. From October to February, Mourzouk is the great 
market and place of refort for yarious caravans from Cairo, 
Bengali, Tripoly, Gadames, Twat, and Soudan, and for 
other finaller troops of traders, Inch asTibboes of Rfchade, 
Tuaricks, and Arabs. The trade from Cairo is carried on 
by the merchantsof Augila ; that fromTripoly, chiefly by 
the inhabitants of Sockna ; and but by few either of Fez¬ 
zan or Tripoly. The commerce with Soudan is conducted 
by way of the Tuarrick Colluvi, by the native Agades ; 
the trade with Bornou is managed by the Tibboes of Bil- 
ma. The caravans coming to Mourzouk from the fouth 
or weft, bring, as articles of commerce, (laves of both 
fexes, oftrich feathers, zibette, tiger (kins, and gold, 
partly in duft, partly in native grains, to be manufactured 
into rings and other ornaments, for the people of interior 
Africa. From Bornou copper is imported in great quan¬ 
tity. Cairo fends filks, melayes (ftriped blue and white 
calicoes), woollen cloths, glafs, imitations of coral, beads 
for bracelets, and likewife an affortment of Eaft-Indhv 
goods. The merchants of Bengali, who ufually join the 
caravan from Cairo at Augila, import tobacco manufac¬ 
tured for chewing, or fnuff, and fundry wares fabricated 
in Turkey. The caravan from Tripoly chiefly deals in 
paper, falfe corals, fire-arms, fabres, knives, and the cloths 
called abbes, and in red worfted caps. Thofe trading from 
Gadames bring nearly the fame articles. The (mailer 
caravans of Tuaricks and Arabs, import butter, oil, fat, 
and corn ; and thole coming from the more fouthern dif- 
triiffs bring fenna, oftrich feathers, and camels for food. 
Mr. Horneman travelled with the caravan which paffes 
annually from Mecca through Fezzan to the weftern parts 
of Africa. He was regaled with the great Fezzan dainty 
of locufts or grafshoppers, and a drink called lugibi. The 
latter is compofed of the juice of date-trees, and when 
frefli is fweet and agreeable enough to the tafte, but is 
apt to produce flatulencies and diarrhoea. The locufts 
are dried, and when eaten, the legs and wings are broken 
off, and the inner part is fcooped out, and what remains 
has a flavour fimilar to that of red herrings. Mr. Horne¬ 
man gives the following defcription of the audience with 
the fultan of Fezzan, on the arrival of the caravan: 
“The fultan had polled himfelf on a rifing ground, at¬ 
tended by a numerous court, and a multitude of his (ob¬ 
jects. Our caravan halted, and every perfon of any im¬ 
portance difmounted to falute him. With others I ap¬ 
proached, and found the fultan feated in an old-faffiioned 
elbow chair, covered with a cloth ftriped red and green, 
and placed at the extremity of an oval area, round which 
foldiers were drawn up, of but mean appearance. The 
fultan himfelf wore the Tripolitan veft, and over it a Ihirt 
or frock, embroidered with lilver, in the Soudan manner. 
Clofe to him, on each fide, were white mainalukes, and 
negro (laves, with drawn fabres ; behind thefe were fix 
banners, and black and half-naked (laves, holding lances 
and halberds, of a fafhion as old perhaps as the times of 
Saladin. We entered the circle by an opening left facing 
the fultan, and about the middle of the area : according 
to the ceremonial of his court, we pulled oft our flippers, 
and approached barefoot tokifs his imperial hand. Each, 
having paid his compliment, alternately paffed to right 
or left, and feated himfelf behind the fultan : the mer¬ 
chants being thus ranged in two equal groups on either 
fide of the throne; laftly entered the (heik of the pilgrims, 
with his fabre drawn, and kettle-drum, and green flag of 
Mecca borne before him. The pilgrims followed, chaunt- 
ing praifes to God, who had fo far conducted them in 
fafety; and continued their hymns until the fultan was 
pleafed to difmifs their leader, with a gracious promise of 
lending his royal prefent of dates and meat to every tent. 
This ceremony of audience being over, the fultan re¬ 
mounted his horfe and rode back to the city of Mour¬ 
zouk, preceded by kettle-drums and banners, and amidift 
his lancemen and halberdiers ; whilft his courtiers, joined 
by the Arabs of our caravan, pranced and curvetted their 
1 hories 
