|
click here to read this page in French
|
|
After our somewhat disappointing stops, we finally reached Meknes around five. We first checked in the Agadir Hotel (70dh a night) that we'd picked among the budget hotels mentioned in our guide, for its location (at the corner of rue Rouamzine and rue Dar Smen, close to the ramparts and 300 yards away from the Place El-Hedim). We easily found it, and it had a tiny car park right in front of it continuously watched by an attendant (and our hotel owner), very handy, (10 dh a day for the parking attendant). The cold shower was on the roof, and squat toilets midway between the first and second floor, our bedroom was a decent size and clean, and the hotel owner, very friendly. One thing to remember: when checking in a hotel in Meknes, choose a room that is on the courtyard rather than on the street, as it can be extrremely noisy at night... right: our hotel |
 |
|
|
Meknes is a city of 200,000 inhabitants with tons of charm and atmosphere. Even during the early moments, we didn't feel any of the alienation we'd felt in Moulay Idriss, although there were continuous processions of people there too. We arrived on Friday night, family gatherings were organised in Berber tents set up against the ramparts, there was the Jewish market in the Mellah, and thousands of people coming and going, sitting on stone benches or standing up, or walking across the place El-Hedim. It was a great moment, and the magical part of it was that we felt part of it. |
|
||
| the continuous flow of people in rue Dar Smen |
place El-Hedim |
|||
|
It's difficult to express how relaxed and welcoming the city was. The looks exchanged were always friendly, they were invitations to rejoice with them in the warm atmosphere of a Friday night. It was nothing special, no festival, no sacred celebration or anything. As we wandered into the mellah, we entered the souk, and even there, there was no intent or questioning look, just smiles of people buying or selling, nice fabrics in view of some summer wedding, embroidered jellabas or trivial saucepans... After all the walking through the old medina, we were hungry, so we went back to rue Dar Smen, and ate a tajine at the Restaurant Economique (around 30dh/head). We liked Meknes so much, we stayed two nights. |
|
Below are a few pictures of the medina at night, as well as the the Medersa Bou Inania. And if you wonder why we took a picture of a butcher's stall, well, that's because on our second night, we had a Meknes speciality: the camel kebab. You buy your meat from the camel-meat butcher's, they mince it in front of you, mix it with herbs and onions (for two, it cost us 20dh!), then you take it to the grill stand, a few meters away, where they grill it for you and put it in Moroccan bread (10dh each), and while you wait, you buy a soda from the stall opposite and have a chat with the people, beautiful. And the kebab? Scrummy! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a street of the Medina at night, with a friendly young Moroccan girl and her baby brother |
the Medersa Bou Inania |
other visions of Meknes: the door of Bab-el-Mansour and a beautiful hibiscus flower |
the camel-meat butcher, very nice, on the right, you can see the fat that makes the camel's hump, and the camel head for a sign |
and if you wonder how one can look so happy surrounded by so much smoke, then you've got to try |
|
|
While there, we
also went to Fes on a day trip... why don't you come with us...
|
|
|
|
|
