The Grand Mosque of Fes el-Jdid, adjacent to the palace grounds, was also founded at the same time as the new city in 1276 and was connected by a private passage directly to the palace, allowing the sultan to come and go for prayers. The decision to create a new and highly fortified citadel separate from the old city ( Fes el-Bali) may have reflected a continuous wariness of Moroccan rulers towards the highly independent and sometimes restive population of Fes. Before this, the main center of power and government in Fes had been the Kasbah Bou Jeloud on the western edge of the old city (at the location of the still extant Bou Jeloud Mosque).

It served as the new royal residence and center of government for Morocco under Marinid rule. The palace was founded and initially built, along with the rest of Fes el-Jdid, by the Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub in 1276. The minaret of the Grand Mosque of Fes el-Jdid, which dates back to the original Marinid foundation of Fes el-Jdid (1276 CE) and was connected to the Dar al-Makhzen Marinid foundation (13th century and after) Today, the most publicly visible parts of the palace are its main entrances at the Old Mechouar (to the northeast) and the highly ornate 20th-century gates at Place des Alaouites, near the Mellah (to the southwest). The vast grounds are home to multiple private structures, patios, and gardens, but historically also included administrative offices and government tribunals. Most of the palace today dates from the 'Alawi era (17th-20th centuries). Its original foundation dates back to the foundation of Fes el-Jdid ('New Fez'), the royal citadel of the Marinid dynasty, in 1276 CE. The Royal Palace or Dar al-Makhzen ( Arabic: دار المخزن, lit.'House of the Makhzen' Berber languages: ⵜⴰⴷⴰⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵎⴿⵣⵏ) is the palace of the King of Morocco in the city of Fez, Morocco.

City of fez