Malade in Meknes

Of Morocco’s four “imperial cities”, the places that were the capitals of empires, Meknes is the smallest. It’s also quite close to Fes, which is much more of an historical and cultural attraction, so travelers who do make it to this area tend to pass it up in favor of Fes. We decided to spend a couple nights here on our way north, and were specifically hoping to make it to nearby Volubilis. Due to a nasty stomach bug, two nights turned into six. But this allowed us to explore the place slowly, and get to know the area around our hotel quite well. The people were very friendly (as they are almost everywhere in Morocco), and the city had a nice mellow flavor to it, as well as a few attractions.


Mosques are ever-present in Morocco.


As in Marrakesh, the medina has at its center a big square, Place el-Hedim. It’s full of food stands, hawkers, and little shops, and the side streets leading off of it disappear into the minor chaos of the narrow old streets. After exploring the massive medinas in Fes and Marrakesh, Meknes’s wasn’t as impressive, but it was still lovely to stroll through the quiet narrow lanes. Kittens were abundant, and provided plenty of diversion, especially for Amber.


A typical street in the Meknes medina.


Right next the medina is the Imperial City, with its incredible gate, Bab el-Mansour. The gate is huge and incredibly ornate, a product of the enormous wealth concentrated in the city in the early 1700s, when it was the capital of Morocco. Other gates into the city, though not as large, are similarly decked out. The man who brought all this money to city, Moulay Ismail, is buried in a mausoleum in the Imperial City.

Bab el-Mansour. Note the size of the people seated at right.


One amazing feature of all the old cities in Morocco are the huge numbers of swifts that nest in the city walls. Most of these old walls have small holes in the sides, left over from the wood beams used during construction. Many of these holes are occupied by nesting swifts. At sunset in Marrakech, Fes, and Meknes, clouds of hundreds or thousands of these swifts swirl low over the city before settling into their nests. It’s a spectacular sight, and one that Matt particularly enjoys.


Fountains outside the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail - yes, those are all individual tiles.


The defining experience of our time in Meknes was, unfortunately, being ill. Matt fell to it first, and Amber about 18 hours later. Both of us had diarrhea, light-headedness, nausea. The doctor pronounced it “intoxication alimentaire”; we think it probably came from drinking tap water. We both got antibiotics, and are feeling much better now. But four days of lying around the hotel room was plenty. And the logistics of being sick got very old – changing bus tickets and hotel reservations, going to the pharmacy, getting food and water when you don’t feel like walking down the hall. We’ll be sticking to bottled water for the rest of our time in Morocco, and hoping that keeps the nasty stomach bugs at bay.


Amber feeling the effects of intoxication alimentaire.