2 3 Meknes SPAIN MEDITERRANEAN SEA Saïdia Rabat ATLANTIC OCEAN 5 Editorial Zagora 6 Meknes in history 8 In the heart of the imperial city ALGERIA CANARY ISLANDS 10 In the streets of the Medina 12 Only in Meknes... 16 Meknassi art 17 Living in Meknes 18 Meknes in a new light 20 A look around the region 22 Meknes the bountiful, a source of life 24 The fascination of the desert MAURITANIA 26 Information and useful addresses 4 5 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 Moulay Idriss Zerhoun a masterpiece of architectural splendour and a paradise for all those who love history. minaret 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. Bab El Mansour 6 7 Meknes in history Meknes, Imperial City Meknes was founded in the 10th Meknes took its rightful place as century by the Maknassa Zenetes, one of the greatest of imperial ci- a tribe native to the Oriental re- ties. Under Moulay Ismail it was gion who came to settle in the area, to rise to unprecedented glory. drawn by its fertile soil and plentiful water, and by the charm of its gar- The first palace built, Dar el Kbi- dens. Conquered by the Almoravids, ra, encompasses two mosques and it was first of all a military outpost over twenty pavilions, while Dar el- (11th century), before expanding Makhzen presents visitors with a su- under the Almohad dynasty (12th perb perspective of arcades open to century) and further developing in the sky above. The Moulay Ismail the following century under the rule Mausoleum is altogether worthy of The royal stables, built of the Merinids. By the dawn of the the sultan’s grandeur, with its suc- in the era of Moulay 17th century, Meknes had become a cession of richly worked rooms, its Ismail prosperous city. courtyard decorated with dazzling mosaics, and its sculpted doorways, It was not, however, until the late intricate marble fountains, cedar 17th century and the coming of wood ceilings and floors strewn the second Alaouite sultan that with sumptuous carpets… Inside the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum 8 9 In the heart of the imperial city Meknes the Magnificent Today, Bab Mansour inner that earned the place its name “Dar lies at rest surrounded by members Separated by Oued Boufekrane, room houses an art gallery. El Ma” (water house). of his family. two worlds eye one another dis- From the building’s terrace, which dainfully across the river, em- Bab Berdaine, played a major has been laid out as a garden, there Not far away is the Ambassadors’ bodying the history of Meknes. role in the city’s economy, being are unrestricted views over the Pavilion, where Moulay Ismail Bab Mansour and Bab Berdaine not only the city’s centre for trade Agdal Basin and the whole of the received foreign delegations. The – gateways that open on to untold but also for diplomatic dealings imperial city. The edifice has been building is perfectly preserved, wonders and make Meknes “the with the north and therefore with used as a location in the making of and its zellij, sculpted stuccowork capital of grand gateways”. foreign lands, and it is hardly sur- such international films as “The and roof of glazed green tiles bear prising that Moulay Ismail provided Last Temptation of Christ” and ample witness to the skills of the Bab Mansour, “the magnifi- this entrance to the medina with a “Jesus of Nazareth”. craftsmen of the time. cent” description given by Pierre gateway worthy of a royal residence. Loti requires no commentary: «Ro- The Agdal Basin, a gigantic The Qara prison or the Under- settes, stars, intertwinings that know The great mosques that enrich the reservoir, irrigated the harem and ground Silos. This subterranean no end, broken lines, unimaginable city’s cultural heritage have deser- the gardens. With a full 4 hectares building was most probably created geometric combinations that throw vedly led to its other nickname, of surface area and supplied by se- and used for storing grain. A per- the eyes off track like so many brain- “city of a hundred minarets”. veral kilometres of underground sisting legend, however, pictures teasers but which never fail to bear pipes, it was a major source of it as a gigantic prison, the work witness to a most original and me- Heri Souani dates from the days drinking water. of a Portuguese captive to whom ticulous sense of taste, have all been of Moulay Ismaïl, and has wrongly Moulay Ismail had promised his brought into play here, with myriads been referred to as the sultan’s “gra- The Moulay Ismail Mausoleum, freedom if he managed to build a of tiny pieces of glazed terracotta, so- nary” or “stables”. Legend has it that was built in 1703 and is one of the gaol that would accommodate up to metimes concave sometimes in relief, the building stabled up to 12,000 few religious monuments open to 40,000 people. It is reached by way Minaret of the Medersa so as to give from afar the illusion of horses. Of colossal proportions, it is non-Muslims. A series of patios of a stairway of irregular steps going Bou Inania a brocaded and re-brocaded fabric, made up of 23 naves supported by The gateway to the leads to an ablutions courtyard down into the ground, leading to a shimmering, dazzling, beyond price, pillars and arches. It was also used to Moulay Ismail Mau- surrounded by a colonnade. vast vaulted area dimly lit by small that has been draped over these an- store foodstuffs, with 10 rooms and soleum, decorated with The mausoleum room is divided openings cut into the ceiling. Only cient stones to break the monotony of wells equipped with water wheels. sculpted stones and into two parts, one sacred the some of the rooms are open to the the towering ramparts». The wells served to supply the buil- topped with green tiles other secular. On the right are the public. The original underground ding and the pool, a large reservoir royal tombs, where Moulay Ismail galleries were some 7 km in length. The Agdal Basin 10 11 In the streets of the Medina Edifices that defy the passing by a covered food market crammed of time… with stalls selling olives, preserved le- The city ramparts are almost 40 mons, spices, mint, and an endless km long, and are punctuated by variety of other local produce. fortified gateways, towers and bas- tions (Bab Lekhmis, Bab Bardaïne, Dar Jamai Bab Al-Mansour, Bab M’Rah, Bab This harmoniously designed His- Rih, Bab Jamaa Nouar, and Bordj pano-Moorish style palace stands Ben Kari, to name but a few). At around a superb Andalusian garden first sight, the medina looks like a and is a perfect example of the kind near impenetrable fortress. Meknes of residences built for wealthy Mo- is always full of surprises! Here, the roccan families in the late 19th cen- gateways are works of art and the tury. Located on the edge of Al-He- souks an invitation to wander a pic- dim square and the medina, it now Dar Jamai Museum turesque world all of its own. houses the regional museum of eth- Al-Hedim square nography, where collections of gold- Al-Hedim square, a vast esplanade thread embroidery work, antique leading visitors to the souks, is the earthenware and jewellery provide departure point for exploring the visitors with an exhaustive survey of medina. Its south side is bordered the Kingdom’s past splendours. Rue Nejjarine provides access to name to the edifice. This architec- most of the souks, which are of- tural masterpiece was built in full ten roofed with climbing vines or compliance with classical Koranic- reeds. school layout – a central courtyard with basin, surrounded by a gallery The craftspeople, who were mostly and a prayer room. The courtyard grouped together by activity in the walls, adorned with zellij, sculpted fondouks in bygone days, ply their stuccowork and magnificent cedar trade in the little workshops lining wood carvings, are a marvellous the streets, which are as a-bustle example of Moorish decoration. with activity as they ever were. Medersa Bou Inania was built by the Merinid sultan Abou El Has- san and completed by his son Abou Inan (1350-1358), who gave his Medersa Bou Inania 12 13 Only in Meknes... The mausoleum of Sidi Mo- hamed Ben Aissa (Cheikh El Kamel) Born in 1465, he was head of the is the “hadra”.