Travel for real
Fès and Meknès, imperial cities
Whether the bewitching Fès or the powerful Meknès, these imperial cities in the Middle Atlas will give you an unforgettable trip in time and in space.
Unspoilt splendours
The Fès medina, designated Unesco World Heritage of Humanity Site, is one of the largest in the Arab world. A stroll in its agreeable and relaxed alleys is already a change of scenery. Princely and easy going, Fès safeguards a learned and refined civilisation.
Discovering the medina
Take Tallaa-Kebira Street from the Bab Bou Jeloud, the magnificent and monumental Arabo-Andalusian 12th century gate. As you start to climb up, the market full of fruit, vegetables, meat and spices will appeal to all your senses. A little farther, craftsmen present their pieces of work renowned for centuries. You will grasp the importance and rank of Fès in history by visiting the splendid 14th century Bou Inania medersa. This Koranic school is a Hispano-Moorish architectural gem. Its marble and onyx paved central courtyard is a masterpiece.
The beauty and power of Meknès
Meknès was designated Unesco World Heritage of Humanity Site for its medina and the remains of the royal palace. You can appreciate its beauty from a tower on the ramparts. The Alawite sultan Moulay Ismaël decided, in the 17th century, to make Meknès the most beautiful and the most powerful of the Moroccan imperial cities. His mausoleum, where he lies is, worth visiting.
City gates and market
The heart of the city beats by the magnificent Bab Mansour gate, one of the most beautiful on the continent. A throng of merchants, acrobats and fire-eaters congregate, at dusk, in Place El-Hedime and its big market. An easy-going and unforgettable medieval atmosphere.
Meditation
Contemplate Dar El-Ma, the water palace, by the Agdal Basin, enormous reservoir for irrigating its harem and gardens. It housed the imperial cisterns and stocks of food for use during sieges.
To remember
Stirring masterpieces, both part of the World Heritage of Humanity, Fès and Meknès will present you with an incomparable change of scenery.
Rabat, city of contrasts
From the medina's busy and colourful alleys to the peaceful and green Chellah necropolis, you will discover Rabat's different facets.
An astonishing medina
You will be surprised by the straight layout of the old part of the city in sharp contrast to the usual maze of streets. Start your visit at the Bab El Had gate and take Souika Street, the largest and probably busiest street in the medina. You will arrive in the Es Sabat souk, the shoe market, covered with reed mats and overflowing with babouches (leather slippers) as well as silver and gold jewellery. You then come to the partially glass roofed 'rue des Consuls' where craftsmen work in front of you making woollen carpets, fabrics and copperware. Northwards, you will arrive at the Oudayas gate.
The Oudayas kasbah
This fortress area has kept its old cannons placed on a bastion. Its beautiful and massive gate is entirely carved and one of its towers houses three art galleries. Its blue and white walls give it a very Mediterranean atmosphere. Its cobbled streets lead to the El Atiqa mosque, the oldest in the city and on to the old semaphore platform. The view from here, or the terrace of the neighbouring Café Maure, is simply splendid: Rabat, nearby Salé and where Bouregreg oued meets the ocean. The Oudayas Palace, further on up, which now houses the National Museum, has conserved its markedly simple and balanced original decoration. The Andalusian Gardens lower down are a haven of peace full of fruit trees, rose-laurels and cascades of bougainvilleas.
A timeless walk
Beyond the city ramparts, other walls hide an enchanting spot: the Merinid dynasty chose this small fertile valley, in the 13th century, for their last resting place. Stroll among the graves in the shadow of a ruined sanctuary whose minaret shelters storks. A little further on, ruins from even further back: those of the Roman city, Sala.
To remember
Whether Roman, Andalusian or Merinidian, the buildings of Rabat will be an equal delight for you.
