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Panorama of the old city, Meknes

Destination

Meknes

Meknes is one of Morocco’s imperial cities, where a historic medina, monumental gates and the legacy of Sultan Moulay Ismail shape the visitor experience

About Meknes

Meknes

Meknes is one of Morocco’s imperial cities, where a historic medina, monumental gates and the legacy of Sultan Moulay Ismail shape the visitor experience. Walk the old streets around Bab Mansour, explore the imperial-era structures around Heri es-Souani and consider the spiritual history of the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. Outside the city, the archaeological site of Volubilis and the hillside town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun make rewarding excursions. Their locations must be described as nearby day-trip sites, not as monuments inside the city center.

Plan Your Trip to Meknes
  • Monumental gate, Meknes
  • Agdal basin and city walls, Meknes
  • Old city in the evening, Meknes

Best things to do in Meknes

Things to Do

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Featured tours in Meknes

Tours

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Important places to visit

Places

  • Market street in the medina, Meknes Medina

    Meknes Medina

    Meknes Medina is the historic urban heart of one of Morocco’s imperial cities

  • Monumental gate, Bab Mansour

    Bab Mansour

    Bab Mansour is the grand monumental gate facing the El Hedim area and one of the most recognizable landmarks of imperial Meknes

  • Main courtyard, Moulay Ismail Mausoleum

    Moulay Ismail Mausoleum

    The Moulay Ismail Mausoleum is an important religious and architectural monument in the imperial quarter of Meknes, associated with the Alaouite ruler who transformed the city in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

  • Exterior walls, Heri es-Souani

    Heri es-Souani

    Heri es-Souani forms part of Meknes’s imperial-era service architecture, commonly described in relation to extensive storage and stable facilities from the reign of Moulay Ismail.

  • Roman ruins, Volubilis Archaeological Site

    Volubilis Archaeological Site

    Volubilis is an extensive archaeological site outside Meknes, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for the remains of an ancient city shaped by Mauritanian, Roman and later cultures.

  • Town rooftops and green-tiled roofs, Moulay Idriss Zerhoun

    Moulay Idriss Zerhoun

    Moulay Idriss Zerhoun is a historic hillside town near Volubilis and Meknes with a significant place in Morocco’s early Islamic history

How to get there

Volubilis and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun lie outside the city and need road transport from Meknes.

Travel tips

  • The historic city of Meknes and Volubilis are two separate UNESCO World Heritage sites.
  • Check monument restoration and access before planning ticketed visits.
  • Not every religious interior is open to all visitors.

Frequently asked questions

What are the highlights of Meknes?

The historic Medina and Bab Mansour, the heritage of the Moulay Ismail era and, outside the city, the Roman and Mauretanian ruins of Volubilis and the hill town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun.

Are Volubilis and Moulay Idriss inside Meknes?

No. Both are outside central Meknes and are reached by road, which is why they are usually visited as a day trip.

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