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Fès, Meknes and Rabat; three great Imperial cities, three quite different atmospheres. Each city has its own beauty, customs and history. Together with Marrakech they encompass the richness of historic Morocco.
Fès
Enclosed within twelfth-century walls,Fès is the most authentic of Morocco’s Imperial Cities, as well as being the country’s religious and cultural centre. After a flight of just over 3 hours, you are suddenly transported into another era and into one of the world’s most ancient and fascinating medinas. Hidden away in a labyrinthine maze of winding alleys are souks selling spices, metalwork, silks and brocades, furniture makers and herbalists. Dominating all of these are the ancient tanneries where the same techniques and natural dyes – cobalt, pomegranate bark, saffron, henna and poppy – have been used for centuries.
Here you can discover such treasures as the green-tiled Kairaouine Mosque, founded in 859 and home to the world’s oldest university; the el-Attarine Medersa – a Muslim school established in 1320; the Royal Palace; the Nejjarine Fountain; the Dar Batha Palace Museum (where the annual Festival of Sacred Music is held); the 17th century Danan Synagogue and in the Andalusian quarter, the splendid El-Sarij Medersa, the old Muslim seminary.
Discreetly hidden behind high, nondescript sun-baked walls are a host of glorious Fassi palaces and mansions, many of which have now been sensitively converted into atmospheric riads offering unique accommodation and serving delicious, traditional Moroccan dishes.
Meknes
Just an hour’s drive away, Meknes is smaller and less urried than Fès, and only became an Imperial city in the seventeenth century when the reigning Sultan devoted his efforts to its transformation with massive ramparts, beautifully ornate gates, mosques, and palaces. The Medina is more peaceful than the larger ones in Marrakech and Fès and it can easily be explored on foot. Not far from Meknes are the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. Standing dramatically on a hillside, where hawks hover overhead, the arches and columns are intensely atmospheric.
Rabat
Rabat is a charming capital city of wide spaces and fresher air; its proximity to the Atlantic has shaped Rabat’s architecture and mood and the resonances of European cities are more obvious than in other major centres in Morocco. Its relaxed atmosphere is a welcome surprise to visitors, who are left to enjoy Rabat’s considerable historic and architectural monuments.
Rabat has a 17th century medina as well as the fascinating Oudaia Kasbah, whose streets of blue and whitepainted houses are bounded by castellated ramparts and entered by a stunningly beautiful decorated twelfth century gate - Bab Oudaia, possibly the most beautiful in the Arab World.
Highlights
- Ancient Mosques and Medersas
- Souks of the medieval Medina
- The colourful Tanneries
- Visit to the Imperial City of Meknes
- Visit to the Roman city of Volubilis.
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