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Meknes
City in Fès-Meknès, Morocco

Meknes

Meknes is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom.

Plan a trip to Meknes→From Saïss

Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital of Morocco during the reign of Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727), son of the founder of the Alaouite dynasty. Sultan Ismail created a massive imperial palace complex and endowed the city with extensive fortifications and monumental gates.

Get in

Getting to Meknes

Meknes is on the Fès-Rabat railway line and has two train stations. The smaller one called

  1. 01
    Gare Meknès-Ville
  2. 02
    Gare Routière
  3. 03
    CTM Bus Station

    A brand new station, near Meknes train station (east of the new town).

Do

Things to do

Public swimming pool. There is a very popular public swimming pool between the medina and the new city, on a hot day it is a godsend. Day Trip to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis: Take a Grand Taxi from the Grand Taxi Stand at Rue Talda to Moulay Idriss. (fare should be fixed at 12dh) In Moulay Idriss, head up to the grand terrace, where you get a great view of the city and the mausoleum of Idriss I.

Eat

Where to eat

The market near the main place in the medina (at the Bab El-Mansur) has incredible fresh products. Lots of different kinds of olives, sweets, pickles, etc. In Ville Nouvelle there are dozens of restaurants and snack bars lining the main road, Rue Antsirape offering the staples of harira, tagine, cous cous and of course rotisserie chicken.

  1. 01
    Restaurant Marhaba
  2. 02
    Restaurant

    Rue Kenitra.

  3. 03
    Miam's Food

    Derb Zemouri.

  4. 04
    Restaurant

    5 rue My، Abdellah ben Ahmed.

  5. 05
    Restaurant Denver

    1 Rue Badr.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.