Meknes & Moulay Idriss

Spending 3 weeks in Morocco allowed us to explore a few less-frequented destinations, like Meknes, Moulay Idriss, and Volubilis, all of which sit between Rabat and Fes. We arrived in Meknes from Rabat by train, which was comfortable and easy enough. Meknes is one of four Moroccan imperial capitals, the others are Fes, Marrakesh and Rabat. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital for 63 years during the reign of Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672-1727), the second ruler of the Alaouite (current) dynasty and the longest reigning Moroccan monarch.

Sultan Ismail was quite the builder, creating a large, fortified city with beautiful gates.

We visited his mausoleum, which was beautifully decorated.

We were impressed by the damascene artisans’ work we saw outside the mausoleum, who use silver, as opposed to gold, which is used in Toledo’s similar workshops. The view from our riad’s rooftop of the Grand Mosque’s minaret was outstanding.

The remains of the city’s historic granaries, water storage basins and royal stables show the scale of what the sultan created in a relatively short period.

There is still a royal palace in the city that is an occasional residence for the current king. Just outside the mausoleum is the Royal Golf Club, which is built within the walls of the palace and is the only enclosed golf course in Africa. As you can see, arched gates are ubiquitous in Morocco.

From Meknes we were able to visit Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, which is considered Morocco’s holiest city, and the ruins of Volubilis (next post). Moulay Idriss, which was founded in 789, was closed to non-Muslim visitors until 1912. It is famous for being the site of the tomb of Idris I, a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohommed and the founder of the first Islamic dynasty – the Idrissids, who are considered the forefathers of Morocco as a modern independent Islamic state -- specifically independent from the eastern Islamic powers.

Moulay Idriss is a small town that is very colorful. It is nestled on the slopes of Mount Zerhoun. While we didn’t spend a lot of time there, it was still memorable. We wandered up, down and around with the help of an entrepreneurial local who served as our guide. We could peer into the tomb site as only Muslims are allowed to enter. The city also features the only cylindrical minaret in Morocco, which is covered in green mosaic tiles.

From there we wound our way through the steep alleys to get to the Grande Terasse, a panoramic view of the town’s rooftops.

Much of the town is painted green, a color associated with paradise in Islam. It was very pretty, especially as the day was cold and gray.

More soon,

Shana & Jeff

Rabat

Rabat, which has been Moroccco's capital since 1912, was significantly less chaotic than the other cities we visited. In fact, with its wide streets, light-rail system, and slightly less-aggressive drivers, Rabat seems a bit like a European city. Of course, this makes sense considering the French chose it as the capital during their "protectorate."

We enjoyed a visit to the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, which provided an introduction to Moroccan art and artists, including a bit of history of Moroccan art through the 20th century.

Our visit to Chellah Castle was definitely the highlight of our time in Rabat. Chellah is very interesting because it contains ruins from two different societies. Part of the site is the ruins of a Roman colony known as Sala Colonia, which dates from 40 C.E.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Sala fell into ruin, and was abandoned until the 10th century. After that it was used by a number of dynasties, but it was the Maranid Dynasty, beginning in the late 13th century, that turned it into a royal necropolis, the ruins of which are still present alongside the Roman ruins. Among other things, there are the remains of public baths and a mosque, which has been repurposed by a large number of storks for their nests.

A photo of the 13th century minaret with the Mohammed VI tower in the background, which is the largest building in Morocco (completed in 2026), juxtaposes ancient and modern Morocco. 

Another example of this contrast can be found at the site of the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V. The Hassan Tower is the minaret of a mosque constructed at the end of the 12th cenutry, but that was never finished. It was intended to be the tallest in the world, but when the Caliph that began its construction died in 1199, the project was abandoned. More than seven centuries later, in 1961, construction of the Mausoleum began adjacent to the site of the unfinished centuries-old mosque.

Rabat has a couple of old Medina areas, but like the rest of the city, they seem much less chaotic than the Medinas in other Moroccan cities. And, since Rabat is on the Atlantic, one of the old Medina's has excellent views.

We enjoyed our time in Rabat, and even spent some time relaxing at the hotel pool. Next up, Meknes.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana

Casablanca

We had heard that there was really very little reason to visit Casablanca, which is Morocco's largest city. However, the impressive Hassan II Mosque, which is one of the few in Morocco that non-Muslims can visit, drew us to make a brief stop in the city.

First, we will say that the reports were correct. There is little reason for tourists to visit Casablanca, except if that is your point of entry. Even the famous Rick's Cafe from the movie Casablanca, is nothing more than a creation for tourists (the movie was filmed in Hollywood). We happened to walk by the cafe in our wanderings, but had no interest in entering. In addition, we found the food scene in Casablanca to be decidedly uninteresting for such a large city. Fortunately, the Hassan II Mosque did live up to our expectations.

The mosque, which sits on a promotory over the Atlantic Ocean, was built in only six years (1987-1993) involving thousands of workers and artisans. It is one of the largest mosques in the world, having the second largest minaret at 210 meters (689 feet) and allowing 105,000 people to pray together (25,000 inside and another 85,000 in the giant courtyard).

The mosque is absolutely beautiful, with colorful fountains around the outside, and huge metal doors that rise like garage doors allowing the mosque to be cooled by the sea breezes (the roof also can be opened for the same purpose). 

The prayer hall is spectacular with impressive granite, plaster, marble and wood work. With the exception of some of the marble, and 56 large, glass chandeliers, all of the materials came from Morocco. Even the basement ablution rooms are lovely. Our guide's explanations were detailed and fascinating.

It is hard to recommend a visit to a city solely for a single sight, but the Hassan II Mosque was almost worth the time we spent in Casablanca.

More soon.

Jeff and Shana

Essaouira

We left Ait Ben Haddou for a long drive (almost six hours) west to Essaouira. Once again, I was glad not to be driving as we enjoyed the trip in our comfortable van. Essaouira is an old port city that is now a fishing village/beach resort. 

The medina of Essaouira is surrounded by very impressive walls, which were built in the 16th century when the Portuguese fortified the city to control Atlantic trade routes. The views were fabulous:

Now, in addition to tourism, fishing is the main part of the city's economy. For some reason, all of the fishing boats are a uniform color of blue.

Of course, being in a fishing village meant that we ate a lot of good fish including, to my great appreciation, fresh oysters right from the ocean at stands in the port.

The beach in Essaouira is beautiful, and at low tide extremely wide, reminding us a bit of the beach at home in San Sebastian This being Morocco, you can find anything on the beach from kids playing football (soccer) to camels. Yes, you can take a camel ride on the beach in Essaouira (we did not), while watching surfers. Nor did we attempt to kite surf, which is what the people next to the camel below are learning to do. Essaouira is well known for its winds.

One night, we had dinner at a very nice restaurant accross from the beach so we could watch the sunset. The food was really good, and we were especially happy to have a bottle of local wine for one of the few times on the trip as most places do not serve alcohol.

We really enjoyed our few days relaxing near the beach before jumping back into the craziness of Morocco in Casablana.

More soon.

Jeff and Shana

Ait Ben Haddou

We left Marrakech to visit Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known to many from its featured role in many movies, including both Gladiator films (“Are you not entertained?”). We decided not to rent a car in Morocco, but to use a car service instead, which has been the right decision. The mountain roads are windy and not entirely well-maintained. Plus, the Moroccans drive like Italians and there are a lot of scooters and vehicles of all types on the roads. Letting someone else do the driving was a relief and the cost was not exorbitant.

It was a 3.5 hour drive to Ait Ben Haddou, and the driver knew the best places to stop for good, cheap food. Also, to our surprise, he had a Wi-Fi hot spot for our use, which was nice, but we made sure to also enjoy the views of the Atlas Mountains. We stayed overnight at a lovely riad (large traditional house) with a fabulous view from the rooftop.

Aït Ben Haddou is a historic ksar (fortified village) that was established in the 11th century along the caravan trade route between the Sahara and Marrakech. It is considered an iconic example of Moroccan clay architecture, most of which dates to the 17th century. having been rebuilt after various damaging events, including the recent 2023 earthquake.

Spending the night allowed us to enjoy an early morning tour without the hordes of tourists who daytrip from Marrakech. It also meant we were woken up by the early call to prayer as the local mosque was directly behind our riad. While we’ve heard the call to prayer in various places, it is usually more distant. This was startlingly close, but we fell back to sleep quickly.

We had the only female guide and, in some ways, she was more interesting than the site, having been born in the village. She took us to her family home, which her aunt maintains, as the entire family has moved to the new village across the river. Very few people still live within Ait Ben Haddou which reminded us of Civita Di Bagnoregio, Italy and Saint-Emilion, France – places that are well-preserved for their historic value with few residents, but are highly touristed and known for their scene worthy backdrops or wine.

Walking up, down, and around the village with Chatima was like stepping back in time. The largest homes are called kasbahs (fortified homes) and were made with the harsh elements in mind. We climbed all the way to the top, where it was windy and where you could see the start of the Sahara Desert.

For all its history and scenery, ultimately, we’re not sure it was worth the long trip out to Ait Ben Haddou. Like many places, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. Still, we learned a lot and made the most of the opportunity.

Hasta pronto,

Shana & Jeff