Outside the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
My host at the riad where I was staying at provided me with a map which shows the important places that I should visit. They are very well versed in these and they mark them down in the map and let you go. What they didn’t tell me was the map wasn’t really shown to scale. The city of Meknès was much larger than I thought. It was less confusing compared to Fès though. One of the most important landmarks in Meknès are it’s walls. Sultan Moulay Ismail was the ruler of Morroco and was the one who made his capital in Meknès.
Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
It was also during this time that Morocco experienced the height of its power. The sultan was a powerful ruler who is feared and respected by his people. Opposition to his rule was quickly squashed and he ruled the country for an unprecedented fifty five years. It was also during this time that the sultan went on a building boom in Meknès. He surrounded the city with thick and high walls to protect against invasion. He build a royal palace here in Meknès was well as numerous mosques. I have no doubt that the monuments that I was about to see are a result of this building craze. Incidentally, Sultan Moulay Ismail was also buried here in Meknès. His mausoleum is outside the medina. Unfortunately, the mausoleum doesn’t seem to be open. I would later learn that the mausoleum hasn’t been open for a while. It seems that non-Muslims were allowed inside the mausoleum before the renovation. It should still be the case when it reopens.
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