Meknés

  Meknes is a charming imperial capital, where life is good. Despite its rich historical heritage, it has retained its simple origins.
  In the seventeenth century, the Alawite Sultan Moulay Ismail Meknes decided to make one of the finest and most powerful imperial cities of Morocco. Today, protected by forty kilometers of walls, it has preserved imposing monuments, including many mosques that earned him the nickname "city of a hundred minarets". Among them, the Great Mosque, probably founded in the twelfth century, is remarkable for its doors to beautiful carved canopies. Its medina and the remains of the royal palace in Meknes have earned to be a World Heritage Site by Unesco. The city is still thriving, taking advantage of the rich cultures of plain Sais (cereals, olive trees and vines).

palace and doors

Considered one of the most beautiful doors in the world, Bab Mansour was built in the early eighteenth century. It opens with the imperial city itself, where a visit to the mausoleum of Sultan remains a curiosity. You can also meditate on the pool of Agdal, huge rectangular tank.
Palais Dar al Baida 
Majestic Alawite XIX century palace built by Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah. Rehabilitated military academy while keeping its historic appearance both in its interior layout that overall level of architectural and decorative elements.
Palais Royal al Mhancha 
Located in the Ismaili Kasbah, it is built in the early eighteenth century as the residence of the King. This entire palace covers a clearly structured surface, rectangular 400 m long and 240 m wide. It is surrounded by a rampart, bastion and crowned with a walkway on the south side, a Meshouar (a large square) is located in front of the wall of the Palais.
Palais Dar Jami 
Was built in the time of Sultan Moulay El Hassan 1st 1882 was the residence of his vizier Abu Abdellah El Jamai. This building was converted into a museum in 1958.
Originally this set included a bath, a slaughterhouse, shops and a fondouk. Currently, there are only the noble part and auxiliary chambers. The building is characterized by a kind of Andalusian garden (Riad) with its aisles with tiles, kiosk, fruit trees and flowers.
Prison Qara 
Located within the Ismaili Qasba, near the pavilion ambassadors. This monument dates from the early eighteenth century. It is a vast underground now known by the name of "Prison Qara." Of oblong plan, it is formed by three rooms composed of a series of arches resting on pillars with an average size of 1.40 on 3,46m and supporting barrel vaults loaders.
Basin Agdal 
Located 500 m. south of Méchouar Royal Palace Mhensha. It is a large water tank located inside the Kasbah. It is built by Sultan Moulay Ismail in the early eighteenth century. Trapezoidal plan, it is about 14gm / 330m with a depth of 3.50 m. The furnishings inside the royal city responds to political and economic order demands.
Hri Souani 
hriSitué has some 500 m south of the Royal Palace and the Monument Méchouar site dating from the time of Moulay Ismail in the early eighteenth century.
This is one of the prestigious Historic Monuments of Meknes. It groups a series of relatively cramped room around a spacious central hall of 26m, 30 long / 10m, 70 of width. and 9m high. It was a place to store food. It contains 10 rooms with ten wells waterwheels. These well fed at the time as well as the building Souani basin, large water tank with this monument constituting a single entity.
Pavilion ambassadors 
Located within the Ismaili Kasbah last gate called Bab El Mansour Laalej.
This is an isolated lodge square built at the end of the seventeenth century by Sultan Moulay Ismail who received ambassadors and foreign envoys visiting Meknes. On the back wall of the room include the plaque commemorating the entry of the historic city of Meknes on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in December 1996.
Bab al Mansour Laalaj 
meknesbabmansourSituée before the El HDIM instead. It was built by Sultan Moulay Ismail and completed by his son Moulay Abdellah (1732). This monument has an opening of 8 m high form of a pointed arch. The latter is decorated with scrolls and ceramic exisés highlights in broad band of mesh embossed on the bottom of polychrome mosaic whose dominant color is green. It is supported by massive white marble columns topped by capitals of ancient style.
Bab al Khmis

Originally Bab el Khmis was the western part of "Madinat al-Riad al Anbari" (quoted from the garden of amber), sumptuous city, built by order of Moulay Ismail in favor of the army then Udayas VIPs but was immediately destroyed by his successor in 1731 Moulay Abdellah the shoe arch slightly broken bay horse is stressed by two lobed arches.
Bab Berdaïne 
babberdaineC'est the northernmost gate of the medina of Meknes. It is located in the extreme north of the ancient city. It stands atop a hill. Its exterior part is in the same style lke monumental gates of Meknes. Thus his decorated part is very close to that of Bab Khemis. Late remeniements have profoundly changed the inside Bab Berdain.
Bab M'rah 
Bab M'rah is part of a set of doors in the wall built at the time of Moulay Ismail (1672-1727). Monumental door, it is a richly varied embélie decoration.
Borj Belkari 
Borj Belkari part of the wall Ismaélinne built by Sultan Moulay Ismail (1672-1727) along the avenue Zine El Aabidine Abdellah and Avenue chefchaoueni. It is one of the main monuments of the city of Meknes. Given the historical and architectural importance of the Borj and large, it was chosen to house the museum of pre-Rif pottery being developed.
Dar El Bachaouate 
Dar el Bachaouate was built between 1912 and 1913 by Ben Aissa Ben Abdkarim el Bukhari Pasha of the medina of Meknes. Since its inception, it has been occupied by several pashas of the city until 1969 This house was until 1969, the dwelling place of several pashas who succeed the power of the city. From that date it became the seat of the Andalusian music conservatory. The building is gorgeous and reflects the style of the Hispano-Moorish architecture.
Madrasah Bouanania 
medersabouananiameknesElle was raised by Abu'l Hassan and completed by his son and successor Abu Inan. 1345. It is an elegant rectangular building and Medium proposals. The prayer hall embroiders the court toward the east. The front door is adorned with a beautiful decoration with tiles and carved plaster .The mihrab, whose ornamentation is preserved encor is remarkable for the epigraphic decoration. The pillars are adorned with tiles, inscriptions and paintings plaster enriched by diverse work.

Markets and bustling squares 
Meknes has one of the most popular medinas of Morocco. Place El-Hedime exactly between the old town and the Imperial part of the city, houses the indoor market and comes alive at dusk: fire eaters, storytellers, jugglers and animal trainers create a warm and exotic.





traditional Culture 

The Regional Ethnographic Museum, housed in the palace Dar Jamai, revolves smoothly around beautiful Andalusian garden. Embroidered with gold, ceramics and antique jewelry wire give a comprehensive overview of past splendours of the Kingdom.

Roman ruins 
31km north of Meknes extends wider Roman archaeological site in Morocco: Volubilis. Triumphal arch Capitol House of Bacchus, all testament to the splendor of the city and its economic and political weight. Not to mention the emotional delicacy mosaics. Allow a minimum of two hours to discover this treasure open.