Meknes

A gate begun by Moulay Ismail and finished under his son in 1732, its face covered in green tilework and marble columns. Photos are taken from El Hedim square opposite, timed for the afternoon sun on the facade.

A broad square spread before Bab Mansour, marking the line between the medina and the royal quarter. After sunset storytellers, musicians and snail soup carts gather, like a smaller version of the great square in Marrakech.

Vast granaries that stored grain for the sultan's horses and army, kept cool by thick walls and water channels under the floor. In the roofless stables beside them only rows of arches remain. Restoration now keeps visitors out; check if it has reopened.

Right in front of the granaries lies a huge square reservoir dug to water the palace gardens and stables. At sunset local families stroll its rim and the waterside cafes fill up.

The remains of a Roman city in farmland north of Meknes, where the third century Arch of Caracalla and floor mosaics in the houses stay in place. Shelter from the sun is almost absent across the ruins, so enter as soon as the gates open.

A holy hill town holding the tomb of Idris I, founder of the first Islamic dynasty of Morocco. Only Muslims enter the shrine, and visitors climb to a terrace high on the slope to look down on its green roofs.

A fourteenth century Marinid religious school whose courtyard is wrapped in tiers of carved cedar, stucco and tile. Visitors may go up to the roof, which looks down on the green tiled roof of the Grand Mosque next door.

A dark run of underground vaults said to have held captives in the days of Moulay Ismail, entered beside the Koubba el Khayatine pavilion where foreign envoys were received. The deeper reaches are sealed off, so only the front part can be entered.

Behind El Hedim square run roofed market lanes lined with textile, copperware and olive shops. Touts are fewer than in Fes, so lingering at a shopfront rarely gets you grabbed.

The Saiss plateau around Meknes produces most of the wine in Morocco, and a few estates beyond the city offer tastings and cellar tours. Every one of them runs on booking, so get in touch a day ahead.

Resting place of Moulay Ismail, the sultan who made Meknes his capital; a run of tiled, plaster-carved courtyards leads up to the tomb chamber. It is a rare royal tomb open to non-Muslims. There is no fee, and Friday prayers close it.

Built for a grand vizier's family in 1882 beside El Hedim square, this mansion reopened after restoration in 2022 as the National Museum of Music. Cypress and orange trees shade its garden. Look up at the cedar ceiling in the upstairs salon.