Morocco Reviews: Volubilis, Meknes and Fes

On the way to Fes we stopped by Volubilis and Meknes. First up was Volubilis, the Roman ruins. We had a really good local guide, but it was so hot, that my enthusiasm was only so-so. There were a lot of preserved mosaic floors, and some of the floor plans of the houses were also preserved. They were built in the style of Moroccan riyadhs, with a central open courtyard surrounded by a walkway and rooms. Parts of the toilets and the washing area were also preserved, along with the sewer system and parts of the basilica. 

Mosaic floors in Volubilis

A storck nesting on top of a column. 

One of the main roads of the town of Volubilis

Then we stopped in Meknes. This city was the capital fro 1672 to 1727 under the famous sultan Moulay Ismail. The gate called Bab El-Mansour, decorated in green and black mosaics, is considered one of the most beautiful gates in all of Morocco. This was the entrance to the royal city and it is almost 300 years old. In Meknes we also had a local guide who took us on a tour of the granary and the casbah. 

Fes was founded in 789 by Moulay Idriss. The old part of the city is called Fes el-Bali (the old Fes). In this part of the city you can find the Kairaouine Mosque, which I believe was erected in the beginning of the 9th century by Tunisian refugees who settled here. Up until the construction of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, this mosque was the largest in Morocco. There is room for 20,000 people in the prayer room. In the area around the mosque there are a lot of medersas (Koran schools) and a library, which was said to contain the largest collection of books outside of Baghdad. Until a few decades ago this place was the only institute for higher learning in Morocco. 

A medersa in the middle of the medina.
It made a nice break from the hustle and bustle.

The streets of the medina are small and twisted, and I was very grateful for our local guide, as I don’t think I would have made it out on my own. This medina was more focused on local customers than tourists, which is why it is worth a visit. The bustling streets filled with cakes, fruits and local produce make for a great experience, but I would team up with a local guide to ensure you don’t get lost for too long!

The alleyways of the Fes medina

A selection of sweets

In the 12th century the “new” Fes, Fés el-Jdid, was founded by the sultans. The royal palace, Dar El-Makhzen, is still situated here, and close by is the old Jewish neighborhood, the mellah. 

The very newest part of Fes, the ville nouvelle, was founded during the French protectorate in the 1920s. Here you find art deco inspired buildings and broad boulevards lined with cafes. 

We visited the famous tanneries where leather is worked and colored, but it was closed for restoration works, which was quite disappointing. Of course the view point over the tanneries had a shop with leather goods associated with it. The prices were not too bad for the quality of the leather. 250-450 US dollars for a leather jacket depending on style and quality. They could tailor-make something to suit you too in a day or less and have it delivered to your hotel, where you could try it on, and if you didn’t like it, you didn’t have to buy it. They also had leather slippers, bags, and poufs. 

The tanneries

Hotel Mounia-Fes

The room was quite small, but there were comfortable beds, air-conditioning and a nice tub in the bathroom. They charge 20 dirhem for the wifi, but it works in the rooms and was very stable at least on the first day. Later in the day during the second day it seemed to stop working, but maybe it was just overloaded with all of us trying to upload pictures to Facebook. The pillows were very thick and hard, which seems to be a thing in Morocco. A lot of hotels have really overstuffed pillows, so between that and the sausage shaped ones, maybe bring your own travel pillow. You can get some inflatable ones that are better than some of the ones I experienced in the different hotels. The breakfast consisted of bread. I think there were some eggs, as I saw eggshells on other people’s plates, but they were gone by the time I got there.