Fez cable car project advances, with heritage protections central
A cable car stretching up to 3.5 kilometers could soon run above the outskirts of the Fez medina. The project, intended for tourists as well as urban travel, is entering a new phase with a call for investors. A key condition: preserving the city’s historic core.
See Fez from the air, with its ramparts, monuments and thousands of narrow streets in the medina below. That is the ambition of the Fès-Meknès Regional Investment Center (CRI), which has launched a call for expressions of interest to select companies capable of designing, building and operating a tourist cable car.
The official specifications envisage a connection 1.5 to 3.5 kilometers long, linking two high points on the outskirts of the old city. The cabins would offer panoramic views of the medina while making some heritage sites easier to reach. The system must also accommodate people with reduced mobility.
A cable car, but not over the historic core
This is one of the project’s main requirements. Designers must avoid flying directly over Fès el-Bali, whose monuments and landscape are protected by its UNESCO World Heritage listing. The route passing through the heart of the medina must be ruled out at the preselection stage, unless there is exceptional heritage-related justification.
Applicants will have to study several routes around the perimeter and assess the visual impact of the pylons, cables and stations. Photomontages will be required in particular to check how they fit into the landscape. Heritage protection alone accounts for 30% of the indicative weighting of the criteria for comparing routes.
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The locations of the stations, the number of cabins and the investment cost have not yet been determined. The CRI says construction could take less than 24 months, subject to confirmation after studies are completed. Moroccan and foreign investors have until January 9, 2027, at 16:30 to submit their applications. An initial selection will be followed by an assessment of more detailed technical and financial proposals.
