After enjoying lunch on the way out of Rabat, we check into our hotel in Meknes by late afternoon. It’s the prettiest room to date.
My roommate Tally shows off our sitting area. How fancy!
We even have a balcony overlooking the city:
I narrowly miss sunset, but this shot of the glowing dusk will have to do:
Meknes is an imperial city with historic monuments. Most tourists overlook it en route to nearby Fes, but it’s well worth checking out for an afternoon.
We tour the city highlights, starting with one of the main gates.
Mohamed takes us to this viewpoint over an artificial lake in the old military fortress. Cattle was once held in that area across the water.
Speaking of Mohamed, here he is — a stellar tour guide. When I friend him on Facebook I discover we already have a friend in common — Mel from Melbourne, who I met in Jordan last November. She was on his tour earlier this year. Small world!
We enter this gate to visit Dar Jamai Museum, home of a former sultan. We don’t have time to explore the whole place but the area we do see is exquisite.
The central chamber of the Dar Jamai is breathtaking. It’s practically sparkling in the light and the design elements — rounded arches, intricately tiled flooring, a dangling chandelier — take center stage.
This golden hallway is one of my favorite photo opportunities in all of Morocco.
A sundial:
Our time in Meknes is brief but enjoyable. How could you not have fun with these faces?
Our afternoon ends with free time in the main square, Place Hedim. I have one priority — I want to climb as high as possible for sweeping shots of the square. Mohammed points out a restaurant; for the price of a drink, guests can linger and take photos on the rooftop deck.
This gate is called Bab Mansour, the largest and most impressive of all the gates surrounding Meknes:
It’s only been a few hours, but Meknes was a nice stop. Tomorrow morning we’ll explore the nearby ruins of Volubilis and then head on to one of Morocco’s best highlights; the blue and white city of Chefchaouen.
Thanks to Nomadic Tours for discounting my tour in exchange for photography and blogging. Opinions are my own.
Hey! it’s interesting to me that so many tourists in these photos seem to be in short sleeves or tank tops. Culturally, did you feel comfortable? I was in Morocco five years ago and maybe it’s different because I was traveling independently with just my best friend (another woman) but I found it much more conservative than I expected (which I don’t mean as a criticism — I loved it there!) and always stayed pretty covered up. Has it changed a lot in five years? Thanks as always for the beautiful posts — I am loving revisiting Africa and I hope you’re having a wonderful trip!
Yes, I see what you mean about tourists not covering up. Personally, I only wore shirts with sleeves (and long pants) so I felt comfortable and didn’t receive any disapproving or unwanted stares. Some of my fellow mates on the tour were primarily traveling through Europe in the summer and their wardrobe reflected that, but they usually had scarves to throw over their shoulders when we walked around the main streets or mosques. I think we were only advised by our guide a few times to cover up and otherwise left to our own devices. The conservative piece of it didn’t surprise me as it felt on par with the Middle East (similar to Jordan, I’d say). But perhaps that’s more relaxed than five years ago! Or perhaps since we were a big-ish group of people we were less aware of looks/stares from others?
Somehow, I found it more conservative than Jordan / Egypt…but maybe I just mean more ancient? It’s like another, enchanting world, isn’t it? Great point on European tourists not expecting to be in a Muslim country. Hope you had a wonderful experience there — thanks for sharing this answer. I’m always curious how places we’ve been change and evolve over time. Hope you’re well!