Meknes Travel Guide: Morocco's Forgotten Imperial City

Meknes is Morocco's most underrated city — the fourth of the four imperial capitals, after Marrakech, Fez, and Rabat, and by far the least visited by international tourists. This neglect is entirely undeserved. The city that Sultan Moulay Ismail built between 1672 and 1727 — his answer to the Palace of Versailles, constructed at the same time under the same absolutist architectural ambition — is one of the most impressive royal cities in the Islamic world, and its medina is a pleasure to explore precisely because there are no tourist hordes to fight through.

Bab Mansour: The great ceremonial gate of Meknes is the finest in Morocco — a towering arch of marble, decorated with intricate geometric tilework and calligraphy, flanked by columns removed from the Roman site at Volubilis. Built in 1732 to complete Moulay Ismail's imperial complex, it served not as a functioning gate but as a statement of power. Today it frames the Lahdim Square beyond — the equivalent of Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech, though far quieter. The gate can be entered and there is a gallery inside with changing exhibitions.

The royal granaries and stables (Heri es-Souani): The most extraordinary architectural achievement of the Moulay Ismail complex — a series of 23 warehouse-sized storerooms built to provision the city and the 12,000 horses of the imperial stables during a siege. The walls are 2.5 metres thick, the vaulted ceilings have partially collapsed over three centuries, and the scale is genuinely overwhelming. An underground irrigation system kept the granaries cool year-round. Adjacent, the royal stables once housed 12,000 horses (Moulay Ismail's obsession with horses was legendary); today the vast empty space is atmospheric in a different, more ruined way.

The medina: Unlike Fez's complex labyrinth, Meknes medina is navigable without a guide and has excellent craft shopping at prices noticeably lower than Marrakech. The Bou Inania Madrasa (different from the Fez madrasa of the same name, but equally beautiful — 14th century, carved stucco, cedar wood, zellige tiles) is the medina's finest monument. The mellah (Jewish quarter) retains its distinctive architecture of overhanging upper storeys and wrought-iron balconies. The covered food market near the main gate has excellent produce and the most reasonable prices in any Moroccan city.

Volubilis: No visit to Meknes is complete without a 45-minute drive to Volubilis — the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in the 3rd century BC, it served as the capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana, and the remains of mosaic floors, triumphal arches, temples, and private houses cover several hectares of hilltop above the Meknes plain. The mosaics — depicting Orpheus, Bacchus, athletes, and mythological scenes — are extraordinary survivors. The combination of Meknes and Volubilis in a single day trip from Fez is one of the finest single day experiences in Morocco.