Excursion to Meknez and Volubilis

Excursion to Meknez and Volubilis

• Duration: 1 day.
• Departure: Fez. Pick up at accommodation.

Tour languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian.

Warning: A minimum of two people is required to make the reservation.

Description of the route:

The tour will start at 08:00 a.m., at which time we will pick you up at the hotel or riad where you are staying.
Meknez is the French name for the Moroccan city of Meknes. It is a city, in the middle of a green valley, in the north of Morocco located at the foot of the Middle Atlas Mountains. It is the capital of the region of Meknes-Tafilalet and one of the four imperial cities of Morocco, along with Fez, Rabat and Marrakech. Since 1996 it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

The origins of the city date back to the eighth century, with the construction of a Kasbah. In the 10th century a Berber tribe, the Meknasa, settled in the area. Meknes experienced its period of splendor in the seventeenth century as the imperial capital of the Alaouite Sultan Mulay Ismail (1672-1727). His death marks its decline in favor of another nearby city, Fez.
The Boufekrane River divides the city in two, the old city or medina and the new city or Hamría.
Its architecture harmoniously combines elements of Muslim and European urban design and planning, which gives the city a unique personality and makes it an example of a 17th century Maghrebi city.

WHAT TO VISIT IN MEKNEZ:

1.- THE BAB EL-MANSOUR GATE, located in front of El-Hedim square. It is the largest gateway to Morocco and North Africa and one of the most beautiful in Morocco. It connects El-Hedim Square with the ancient imperial city of Mulay Ismael. In front of it were held the main religious and military events of the city. It was completed in 1732 under the rule of the son of Mulay Ismael, Mulay Abdallah. Today it is an exhibition hall.

EL-HEDIM SQUARE, which is the real heart of the city and meeting point between the local population and foreign visitors. It is surrounded by a food market where you can buy the best of local cuisine and modern buildings. It is a particularly suitable place to sit down for a snack and something to eat in one of the restaurants and terraces that proliferate in the square.

3 .- THE MAUSOLEUM OF MULAY ISMAIL, located very close to the medina. It can be visited by non-Muslims.

4 .- THE ZOCO, shopping area par excellence, located inside the medina. There are two souks, the Zoco Sekkakine and Zoco Bezzazine. In the latter you can buy the best of local crafts. The wicker baskets are famous.

5.- DAR JAMAI MUSEUM. It is located at the northern end of the square El-Hedim, on the site of the palace of the Jamai family, one of the richest families of Meknez. You can visit the gardens and on the top floor is the Museum of Moroccan Art, which brings together a collection of crafts not only Meknez, but throughout Morocco.

6 .- THE MADRAZA BOU INANIA, a Koranic school built in the twelfth century by Yousef Ben Tashafin. It is one of the jewels of Islamic art in North Africa. You can visit the large central courtyard, the courtyard of ablutions, decorated with tiles, plasterwork and carved wood, in the purest Andalusian style and has a large fountain in its center, but non-Muslims can not access the prayer rooms, nor the upper gallery where the students’ rooms are located. Here came students from all corners of the Arab world, of all social status, to study the Koran, as well as other subjects, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, etc ….

7.- THE NÉJJARINE MUSEUM, from the Almohad period (10th century). Nearby is the Ed-Dlala citadel, where every evening, except Tuesday, you can witness the auction of carpets and Berber blankets.

8 .- THE GREAT MOSQUE, founded in the eleventh century by the Almoravids.

9 .- DAR EL-MAKHZEN or the Palace of Water. It was the official palace of Moulay Ismael. The origin of the name is explained by the fact that the water used was extracted from wells about 40 meters deep thanks to a system of waterwheels driven by animals.

10.-THE GRANARIES AND THE OLD ROYAL STABLES. They are part of the complex of the Sultan’s palace. These granaries are gigantic vaulted subway silos, with huge pillars. The thickness of the walls kept the interior at a constant temperature. When they were full they could feed the population of the city, in case of siege, for three months.

11.-THE POND OF AGDAL. It is 320 meters long, 215 meters wide and two meters deep. It was built by Sultan Moulay Ismael to water the 12,000 horses that the surrounding stables could accommodate.

At 33 kms from Meknes, heading northwest, are the archaeological remains of the Roman city of VOLUBILIS, the best preserved and most visited of all Morocco. It was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1997.
It enters through the southern quarter, where are located the oil mills, the house of Orpheus, with mosaics dedicated to the daily life of dolphins playing with the waves, or Greek mythology, in medallions surrounded by geometric motifs and the Baths of Galien, which lead us to the market square and the Capitol, a temple of which remain standing some columns topped with Corinthian capitals and next to which is the Basilica, which served as a stock exchange and courthouse and which remain four rows of columns and three naves, but undoubtedly the most spectacular is the main road, Decumanus Maximus, which ends in the Arch of Triumph of Caracalla, erected in 217 AD. c. and the Forum, lined with porticoes and decorated with statues of emperors and notables, is also particularly noteworthy. There are still some beautiful mosaics that decorated the houses of Volubilis, such as the aforementioned House of Orpheus and the House of Dionysos, which has a spectacular mosaic of the four seasons.

You have the optional possibility of a guided tour of the archaeological complex.

More information is available in the guide section of this page.

The excursion INCLUDES:

• Transfers to and from your hotel/riad.
• Transportation throughout the tour in a private, air-conditioned, top-of-the-line vehicle with English-speaking driver and guide.

The excursion does NOT include:

• Meals and beverages.
• Entrance fees to museums and buildings.
• Tips for visits.
• Everything NOT specified in “the price includes”.