Things to do · Meknes
About two hours east of Rabat by train, Meknes is the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, blending monumental gates, vast granaries and a relaxed medina with easy day trips to Volubilis. A rewarding overnight or long day from the capital. Here are twelve experiences worth your time.
12 experiences
Often called the finest gate in North Africa, Bab Mansour was completed around 1732 under Sultan Moulay Ismail's successor. Its monumental horseshoe arch is framed by green-and-white zellij tilework and flanked by marble columns reused from Roman Volubilis.
The broad central square fronting Bab Mansour separates the imperial city from the medina. Once a parade ground, it is now a lively meeting place ringed by cafes, with food stalls and street performers gathering in the evenings.
The resting place of the sultan who made Meknes his capital in the 17th century. Visitors may enter several richly decorated courtyards and the tomb chamber, admiring carved plaster, cedar ceilings and zellij in one of the few Moroccan mausoleums open to non-Muslims.
Moulay Ismail's vast royal storehouses and stables, built to supply his court and reputedly house thousands of horses. Massive earthen walls, ranks of arches and clever cooling and water systems show the scale of imperial Meknes.
A large rectangular reservoir beside the Heri es-Souani, built to irrigate the royal gardens and supply the granaries and stables. Today its still water mirrors the surrounding walls and draws locals for an evening stroll.
Smaller and calmer than those of Fes or Marrakech, the walled old town behind Place el-Hedim is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its souks sell metalwork, textiles, carpets and the local damascene inlaid ironwork without the crowds of bigger cities.
Set in a late 19th-century palace beside Place el-Hedim, this museum displays Moroccan arts including ceramics, jewellery, woodwork and embroidery. The restored Andalusian garden and a furnished upstairs reception room are highlights in their own right.
A 14th-century Merinid Quranic college near the Grand Mosque, a quieter counterpart to the famous medersa of the same name in Fes. Carved cedar, stucco and zellij surround a tiled courtyard, and the rooftop gives views over the medina.
Moulay Ismail enclosed his imperial city with many kilometres of high earthen ramparts pierced by monumental gates. Walking sections of the walls between Bab Mansour and the kasbah reveals the defensive scale that earned Meknes comparisons to a fortress city.
About 30 kilometres north, Volubilis is Morocco's best-preserved Roman site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Standing columns, a basilica, triumphal arch and remarkably intact floor mosaics mark this prosperous frontier town of the empire.
A whitewashed holy town draped across two hills near Volubilis, built around the tomb of Moulay Idriss I, founder of Morocco's first dynasty. A revered pilgrimage site, it offers steep lanes, panoramic terraces and a deeply traditional atmosphere.
As the sun sets, food stalls around Place el-Hedim fire up grills and tagines. Local specialities include camel meat, harira soup, brochettes and msemmen, eaten among Meknassi families in one of the city's most sociable evening rituals.
Meknes is best known as the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, with monuments such as Bab Mansour gate, his mausoleum and the vast Heri es-Souani granaries and stables. Its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Yes. Meknes offers grand imperial architecture and a relaxed, uncrowded medina, plus easy day trips to the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, making it a rewarding base in northern Morocco.
Yes. The Roman site of Volubilis lies about 30 kilometres north of Meknes and is an easy half-day trip by car or taxi, often combined with a stop at the nearby pilgrimage town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun.
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