Place Rcif is the main square of the eastern half of Fes el-Bali, and the busiest junction in the medina outside of the areas immediately inside Bab Boujeloud. The bus from Bab Boujeloud terminates here, so it is one of the few places in the medina where you can actually orient yourself — a momentary expansion in the labyrinth where you can see sky and get your bearings.
The square is ringed with fruit stalls, butchers, and the kind of everyday commerce the medina runs on. Buses and donkeys compete at the edges. From here, paths branch toward the Chouara tannery (northeast), Al-Qarawiyyin (northwest), and the quieter eastern quarters of the medina. It is also a useful landmark: when guides say "Bab Rcif," they mean this area.