The 1200 anniversary of Fez, 'a founding event' to glimpse future 'with faith'

Participants to the celebrations of the twelve hundredth anniversary of the Foundation of the city of Fez, on Saturday, described the event as a "founding event" which offers Moroccans the possibility of "becoming aware of their History and having faith in their future."

Fez - Participants to the celebrations of the twelve hundredth anniversary of the Foundation of the city of Fez, on Saturday, described the event as a "founding event" which offers Moroccans the possibility of "becoming aware of their History and having faith in their future."

    Speaking on the occasion, former French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, who was born in Rabat, Morocco, said he was impressed by Morocco's deep-rooted history, stressing that the North African country is gaining more and more importance either in the Maghreb (a regional grouping that musters, besides Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia and Libya) or in the world.
   
    Everyone remembers "the blessed Al-Andalus and an era where we were able to live in peace together, using what was the best of our civilizations and making mention of our cultures and respective religions in a spirit of respect and tolerance," he said, stressing that the two shores of the Mediterranean should work to restore this situation because "we have so much complementarities in common, we have so much to do together and we have so much to learn."

    In turn, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Javier Pérez de Cuellar, noted that this celebration is an "occasion for the Moroccan people to become aware of their History and have good faith in their future."

    Attending this event, Senegalese First Lady, Viviane Wade, recalled the historical ties between Morocco and Senegal, highlighting the special position of Fez as home to the Tarika Tijania Sufi order, which is followed by numerous Senegalese.

    The Mayor of the French city of Montpellier, Mrs. Hélène Mandroux, underlined that the celebration of the 1200 anniversary of the Foundation of Fez is a "source of pride" for all Moroccans, recalling that Montpellier and Fez are bound by a twinning agreement, signed 5 years ago.

    For his part, president of the Fez, Qujda and Sefrou Jewish communities, Armand Guigui, reiterated the joy of the Jewish community as regards this paramount historical event.

    A grandiose musical celebration was held to mark this anniversary in the imperial city. The sound and light spectacular came as part of a series of cultural, educational and artistic events meant to draw the historical milestones of the city, which was founded in 808 AD by Idriss II.

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