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Editorial

Meknes in history

In the heart of the imperial city

In the streets of the Medina

Only in Meknes...

Meknassi art

Living in Meknes

Meknes in a new light

A look around the region

Meknes the bountiful, a source of life

The fascination of the desert

Information and useful addresses

Editorial

Meknes

Moulay Ismail’s city, whose beauty is only equalled by the glory of its history, has been

blessed by nature with a geographical setting of extraordinary diversity. An obligatory

point of passage between the Atlantic plains and the high plateaus of the Oriental

region, and between the North Middle Atlas and the foothills of the Rif Mountains,

Meknes has made the utmost of the breath-taking natural contrasts that surround it.

A Moroccan imperial city with a medina listed as a World Heritage site, Meknes

casts a spell over all who visit it. A stay within its walls is an experience never to be

forgotten, leaving memories of historical grandeur, good living, and true authenticity.

Meknes is a treasure house of imposing ramparts and magnificent palaces, of mosques

and medersas, of kasbahs and museums, of lush green gardens and shimmering pools

a masterpiece of architectural splendour and a paradise for all those who love history.

The Meknes region is the Kingdom’s orchard, famed for the succulent varieties of

fruit it produces, while its fertile soil nurtures the very finest vineyards and olive

groves. But it is also a land of mountains and mineral springs, of forests of cedar

trees and green oaks.

Setting off in discovery of Meknes and its many riches is an adventure without

parallel, whisking you away to other worlds and other times.

Moulay Idriss Zerhoun

minaret

Bab El Mansour

Meknes in history

Meknes, Imperial City

Meknes was founded in the 10th

century by the Maknassa Zenetes,

a tribe native to the Oriental re-

gion who came to settle in the area,

drawn by its fertile soil and plentiful

water, and by the charm of its gar-

dens. Conquered by the Almoravids,

it was first of all a military outpost

(11th century), before expanding

under the Almohad dynasty (12th

century) and further developing in

the following century under the rule

of the Merinids. By the dawn of the

17th century, Meknes had become a

prosperous city.

It was not, however, until the late

17th century and the coming of

the second Alaouite sultan that

Meknes took its rightful place as

one of the greatest of imperial ci-

ties. Under Moulay Ismail it was

to rise to unprecedented glory.

The first palace built, Dar el Kbi-

ra, encompasses two mosques and

over twenty pavilions, while Dar el-

Makhzen presents visitors with a su-

perb perspective of arcades open to

the sky above. The Moulay Ismail

Mausoleum is altogether worthy of

the sultan’s grandeur, with its suc-

cession of richly worked rooms, its

courtyard decorated with dazzling

mosaics, and its sculpted doorways,

intricate marble fountains, cedar

wood ceilings and floors strewn

with sumptuous carpets…

The royal stables, built

in the era of Moulay

Ismail

Inside the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum

In the heart of the imperial city

Meknes the Magnificent

Separated by Oued Boufekrane,

two worlds eye one another dis-

dainfully across the river, em-

bodying the history of Meknes.

Bab Mansour and Bab Berdaine

– gateways that open on to untold

wonders and make Meknes “the

capital of grand gateways”.

cent” description given by Pierre

Loti requires no commentary: «Ro-

settes, stars, intertwinings that know

no end, broken lines, unimaginable

geometric combinations that throw

the eyes off track like so many brain-

teasers but which never fail to bear

witness to a most original and me-

ticulous sense of taste, have all been

brought into play here, with myriads

of tiny pieces of glazed terracotta, so-

metimes concave sometimes in relief,

so as to give from afar the illusion of

a brocaded and re-brocaded fabric,

shimmering, dazzling, beyond price,

that has been draped over these an-

cient stones to break the monotony of

the towering ramparts».

Today,

Bab Mansour

inner

room houses an art gallery.

role in the city’s economy, being

not only the city’s centre for trade

but also for diplomatic dealings

with the north and therefore with

foreign lands, and it is hardly sur-

prising that Moulay Ismail provided

this entrance to the medina with a

gateway worthy of a royal residence.

The great mosques that enrich the

city’s cultural heritage have deser-

vedly led to its other nickname,

“city of a hundred minarets”.

of Moulay Ismaïl, and has wrongly

been referred to as the sultan’s “gra-

nary” or “stables”. Legend has it that

the building stabled up to 12,000

horses. Of colossal proportions, it is

made up of 23 naves supported by

pillars and arches. It was also used to

store foodstuffs, with 10 rooms and

wells equipped with water wheels.

The wells served to supply the buil-

ding and the pool, a large reservoir

that earned the place its name “Dar

El Ma” (water house).

From the building’s terrace, which

has been laid out as a garden, there

are unrestricted views over the

Agdal Basin and the whole of the

imperial city. The edifice has been

used as a location in the making of

such international films as “The

Last Temptation of Christ” and

“Jesus of Nazareth”.

reservoir, irrigated the harem and

the gardens. With a full 4 hectares

of surface area and supplied by se-

veral kilometres of underground

pipes, it was a major source of

drinking water.

lies at rest surrounded by members

of his family.

Not far away is the Ambassadors’

Pavilion, where Moulay Ismail

received foreign delegations. The

building is perfectly preserved,

and its zellij, sculpted stuccowork

and roof of glazed green tiles bear

ample witness to the skills of the

craftsmen of the time.

ground Silos. This subterranean

building was most probably created

and used for storing grain. A per-

sisting legend, however, pictures

it as a gigantic prison, the work

of a Portuguese captive to whom

Moulay Ismail had promised his

freedom if he managed to build a

gaol that would accommodate up to

40,000 people. It is reached by way

of a stairway of irregular steps going

down into the ground, leading to a

vast vaulted area dimly lit by small

openings cut into the ceiling. Only

some of the rooms are open to the

public. The original underground

galleries were some 7 km in length.

Bab Berdaine,

played a major

Bab Mansour

, “the magnifi-

The Agdal Basin,

a gigantic

The Qara prison

or the Under-

Heri Souani

dates from the days

The Moulay Ismail Mausoleum,

was built in 1703 and is one of the

few religious monuments open to

non-Muslims. A series of patios

leads to an ablutions courtyard

surrounded by a colonnade.

The mausoleum room is divided

into two parts, one sacred the

other secular. On the right are the

royal tombs, where Moulay Ismail

Minaret of the Medersa

Bou Inania

The gateway to the

Moulay Ismail Mau-

soleum, decorated with

sculpted stones and

topped with green tiles

The Agdal Basin

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