Meknes and Fès (Studiosus Journey Highlights of Morocco)

In the morning, we drove to Meknes.

The city was expanded and heavily fortified by Sultan Moulay Ismail as his residence.

Several rings of city walls, totaling over 40 km long, surround the old town.

We began our tour in a market hall, where there were various spices, dried fruits, oils, and olives available for purchase.

Afterward, we visited a museum of musical instruments, located in a magnificent townhouse.

We focused more on the architecture of the house with its numerous and elaborate decorations than on the exhibition inside.

In conclusion, we went to the mausoleum of Sultan Moulay Ismail.

He was the only ruler who resided in Meknes and made it the capital. After him, it was moved back to Fès, which due to its location was harder to defend - something later rulers would experience painfully.

Our journey continued to Fès.

There today lies a vast palace grounds of the royal family, shielded by high walls.

We saw it from the outside with one of its impressive gates, before strolling through an alley of the former Jewish quarter.

The bus then took us to the old city, where we maneuvered through the crowd in a narrow street.

This was just a first impression - the proper tour through the medina was scheduled for the next day.

The alley was so narrow that donkeys were not allowed - as indicated by a street sign.

As the weather held up, we also went to an observation terrace.

From here, one could overlook the entire old town, extending to the Middle Atlas Mountains.