From the heart of Morocco, the sixth largest city of population in Morocco, and one of the four imperial cities; it is Meknes city, with Spanish-Moorish style, surrounded by high walls with great doors.

Meknes is named after a Berber tribe which, was known as Miknasa (native Berber name: Imeknasen) in the medieval North African documents.

This city is located in a strategic location, the rich cedar forests and mountains of the Middle Atlas mountains to its south and southeast, To the west are the two largest metropolitan areas of Morocco, Casablanca and Rabat, East of Meknes includes a large number of cities of which Oujda and Fes.

Why Meknes is considered a touristic place?

Its climate is amazing, it has a Mediterranean climate, shifting from cool cold winter to hot days in the summer, however the nights are always cool, bad news is, it rarely snows in Meknes.

In Meknes, you can find all kind of markets, shops, restaurants, gardens…and much more, in other way, when you in Meknes you do not have to travel to other city to get something, everything you need is there.

Moroccan people in general, and Meknes people to be more specific are well known for their hospitality and generous, you can be sure that you will build a lot of new relations, and you will taste a lot of their feasts, and not many enjoy a tasty burger made of camel in your place, you will see the sign with a camel face one of the butchers markets. It is exquisite, a bit spicy but very good and different.

About the city geography, it is not hard to tell that you will find amazing sights there, from high mountains, to big forests, and landscapes, other than that in Meknes you can find:

Meknes souk LAHDIM
Meknes garden

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The most attractive places to visit in Meknes:

Things To Do in Meknes:

1: Volubilis:

one of the most famous sights in Meknes, and one of the Roman constructions, located on a hill which will give you the opportunity to see all the city, and to take some great photos there.

2: Medina:

or as it is known “the old town”, in the center of the Medina we can find the Grand Mosque, the 12th century mosque, Also, in the Medina is the Dar Jamai. It was originally the home of the Jamai family.

3: Dar el Makhzen palace:  

located in El Mechouar Stinia. It is sided by a 2 km-long corridor formed by two large walls. It was Moulay Ismaïl’s official palace.

4: Bab al-Mansour gate:

named after the architect, El-Mansour. It was completed 5 years after Moulay Ismail’s death, in 1732. The design of the gate plays with Almohad patterns. It has zellij mosaics of excellent quality,

 

 

5: Lahboul gardens:

It houses a zoological garden and an open-air theatre.

6: Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail:

built in 1703 by Ahmed Eddahbi, Most of the Mausoleum is free entrance to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Access to the center of the mausoleum through a series of rooms with a sober and minimal decoration. The core however, it is a room richly decorated with many beautiful Islamic grounds with a fountain in the middle. Despite the opening of the building to visitors of different faiths, the tomb of Sultan is closed to unbelievers (in Islam)

7: Koubat Al Khayatin (“Ambassador’s Hall”):

a pavilion in which sultan Moulay Ismaïl received foreign ambassadors.

8: Bab El Khemis:

a large decorated gate from the 17th century. Also you can check Zouk el Khemis a very big market where you can find anything you need. This souk is not so popular for tourists because it is not mentioned a lot in books, but in matter fact you can find many antique shops contains almost anything.

 

9: Bab Berdaïne:

a majestic gate built by Moulay Ismaïl in the 17th century.

 

10: Dar El Beida:

a 19th-century palace built by sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. It is currently home to the Royal Military Academy.

Moreover, will not forget to mention the Royal stables, Agdal reservoir, and Cara subterranean prison.

11: Covered bazaar:

first of all, bazaar means souk or (market), souks are the heart of Moroccan life, it is all their commercial life, this covered bazaar or (souk) is one of the best ones in all of Morocco, it’s quite streets away from annoying souvenirs seller, and desaturation makes shopping there a very nice experience.

In addition to all these historic, amazing sights there are also some of the historic mosques in Meknes like: (Néjjarine Mosque, The Grand Mosque, Zitouna Mosque, Madrasa Bou Inania), you will also be interested in checking Meknes towers, and especially Borj Belkari.

As this city the heart of Morocco, so services and transportations will not be hard to find, also its location between Fes and Marrakesh makes this city an easy stop for travelers between those 2 cities to check it and give its amazing sights a visit. Every tourist decides to stay longer in Meknes before continuing to Marrakesh will get rewarded by its magic, and charming sights, culture, markets, and much more.

Volubilis
meknes-Medina
meknes-Dar-el-Makhzen
Meknes-Bab-Mansour
meknes Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
Bab El-Khemis or Bab Al Khmis
Meknes - Bab Berdaine Outside
old picture of the Dar El Beida
Tajine Souk Morocco Bazaar
Meknes-Souk

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Book your Morocco trip with FriendlyMorocco expert team. We have wide selections of tours to choose from. The tours we provide are are well-organized to suit every passenger’s needs. It is also possible to customize your tours. Feel free to contact us to get a quote or for more info!

Hotels in Meknes:

When you are in Meknes you can find anything, I really mean anything!

Hotels there are so nice, clean and other than that you can find all kinds of hotels from 1star until 5stars, you can book with 25$ and you can book with 100$ it is your choice.

And will mention some of them for you to know what to ask for (Riad Idrissi hotel, Ryad Bab Berdaine hotel, Riad Dar Zidane), a lot more hotels you can find there, you just have to look.

Read also : Accommodation types in Morocco: Where to stay?

Have you ever been to Meknes?

Have you checked any of the sights we talked about?

If so, do not forget to write down in the comments, telling us about this city, and its sights, do not forget to share your opinion about what you discovered and did there, and tell us about Meknes people.

And most important do not forget to share this article with your friends.

Meknes, Morocco

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