Meknes & Rabat

 

 

Meknes - Bab Mansour

 

 

 

Meknes - Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

 

 

 

Meknes - The Rouah Stables

 

 

 

Meknes - Bou Inania Madrasa

 

 

 

Moulay Idriss

 

 

 

Rabat - Bab Oudaias

 

 

<Marrakech                                                                        Volubilis>

The Morocco Photos:-

Quieter than Fes and Marrakech, Meknes is one of the  grand old Moroccan Imperial cities. It is well worth a short visit, but maybe a bit too quiet for a longer stay. Meknes was largely built by the bloodthirsty  Moulay Ismail (1672-1727) by plundering the treasures of Marrakech, Volubilis and other cities. It went into slow decay after his death.

Among his other claims to fame is that he fathered 888 children, hence Moulay Ismail is considered one of the great founding fathers (sorry!) of Morocco and his mausoleum is the only active Moroccan shrine that non-Muslims may visit.

 

Needless to say the mausoleum is very finely decorated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moulay Ismail also built the nearby Rouah, the world's largest stables for his 12,000 war horses. Though now dilapidated what is left is still impressive and has been used as a setting in various films (including Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This 14th Century Madrasa has a prayer hall off one side of the courtyard. Tiny student cells encircle the other sides of the courtyard behind intricately carved wooden screens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few miles from Meknes is the town of Moulay Idriss that takes its name from and  houses the tomb of Morocco's most venerated saint and founder of its first Arab dynasty in the 8th Century. Popular with local pilgrims, as five visits to here is equivalent to one Hajj to Mecca. Not a lot for tourists to see as the tomb and surrounding mosque are strictly out of bounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main gate to the Kasbah des Oudaias in Rabat. Above the gate is a large prison where our guide delighted in describing the tortures and executions of the captured Barbary pirates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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