In Morocco you can find a little bit of Switzerland and a little bit of France, too. There’s a city that, with its centuries of history, culture and spirituality, is known as the “Versailles of Morocco”. I’m talking about Meknes, one of Morocco’s four imperial cities, along with Fez, Marrakech and Rabat.
It’s a city teeming with historic monuments, natural sites and mosques, which is why it’s also called the “City of a Hundred Minarets”. It’s protected by more than 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) of imposing defensive walls, still visible today, with ramparts 15 meters (about 50 feet) high, enclosing an ochre-painted town in the heart of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The name Meknes comes from the Berber tribe that founded and ruled it from the 8th century, the Meknassa. The monumental city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies in the north-central part of the country, between the Middle Atlas and the Rif mountains, 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) from Rabat. That makes it the perfect city to start your tour of Morocco.
What to see in Meknes
Founded in 1061 as a military stronghold, Meknes blends elements of Spanish and Arab architecture. Passing through its 9 monumental carved gates, you can stroll among majestic Hispano-Moorish buildings dating back to the 1600s and visit the Medina, the Kasbah, the souks (smaller than those of Fez or Marrakech but just as lively), the mosques, the hammams, the gardens, the balconied houses of the Jewish quarter, the alleys of the old mellah and the many granaries.
The many monuments of Meknes let visitors from all over the world appreciate its rich imperial past.
Bab Mansour Gate
The heart of the imperial city is the Bab Mansour gate, on the southeastern side of El Hedim Square. Completed in 1732, it’s the most majestic imperial gate in Morocco and serves as the entrance to the city. It was designed by a Christian convert to Islam, which is why “Mansour” is also known as “the renegade”.
Even today you can read many of its inscriptions and see its zellij tiles, faded but still beautiful.
Next to Bab Mansour you’ll spot a smaller gate built in the same style, Bab Djemaa en Nouar.
Dar Jamaï Palace and Museum
The sumptuous Dar Jamaï palace, opened in 1882, is worth a visit for its richly decorated rooms, with carved plaster and painted wood, and for its lush Andalusian garden full of palms, banana trees, lemon trees, cypresses and papyrus. It’s a building with elegant painted windows and plenty of tiles, plus the typical koubba, a shrine furnished like a traditional salon, complete with luxurious rugs and fine cushions.
Once owned by the Jamaï family, the palace houses the Dar Jamaï Museum, with a collection of Moroccan art (jewelry, wrought iron, wood carvings, textiles, rugs, clothing and ceramics), including objects that belonged to Sultan Moulay Ismail.
Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
And the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail is a must on your Meknes itinerary. It’s inside the Medina, on the opposite side of El Hedim Square, and is the sultan’s final resting place, as well as one of three Moroccan shrines (the other two are the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat and the Bou Inania Madrasa in Fez) that non-Muslims can visit, although they can’t go right up to the tomb.
The shrine, where Moulay Ismail is buried with one of his 50 wives and two of his 800 children, has elegant courtyards and rooms decorated with zellij tiles and finely carved stucco.
Heri es-Souani
A short walk from Bab Mansour takes you to the huge Heri es-Souani complex, also called Dar el-Ma. It’s a set of warehouses, stables, granaries, storerooms and haylofts used by Sultan Moulay Ismail, with high vaulted ceilings, where food was stored in case of drought or siege. It also housed around 12,000 horses.
Between the rooms, built with walls 3 meters (10 feet) thick and tiny windows, wells fed by water wheels and a system of water channels in the floor were built to keep the temperature low and the air circulating. Even today these wells are one of the finest examples of 17th-century Moroccan engineering.
From the rooftop terrace, you can enjoy a splendid view over Meknes and the 4-hectare (10-acre) Agdal Souani basin.
Volubilis
Volubilis is the largest and best-preserved Roman archaeological site in Morocco, north of Meknes, covering about 40 hectares (100 acres). The site includes the Triumphal Arch of Caracalla and the Capitoline Temple. It remained intact until the great earthquake of 1755, and was later plundered for materials to build Meknes.
After visiting all these architectural wonders, don’t forget that Meknes is also famous as the city of rugs. In this part of the country, the handmade production of kilims, the traditional rugs that Berber women make for their weddings, is thriving. Travelers love to take home one of these unique pieces of Moroccan craftsmanship, which you can find at the markets.
Lisa
