Meknes

Mulay Idriss and the countryside lifestyle

Meknes, with a bit more than half million inhabitant is a very dense and compact urban center, surrounded by countryside, where gentle hills of dense trees stand out, behind which are plains planted with agriculture fields, interrupted here and there by scattered olive trees. The winter light filter by the scattered clouds increase the contrast of the landscape, enhance the green of the plants and the brown of the soil.

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the rural lifestyle is widely present in Mulay Idriss

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Along this rural landscape small villages pop up, but is one called Mulay Idriss that stands up and is a popular destination for tourist visiting Meknes, as is close location, about 30 kilometers north from the medina, make a easy day trip to Moroccan countryside lifestyle, on the way to Volubilis, the ruins of an ancient Roman city.

But Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, as it’s also called to the location close by the Mount Zerhoun, is much more popular for the Moroccan that for the foreigners as this village is where Mulay Idriss, that is considered the founder of Morocco by unifying the north part of the territory, arrive in the end of the first century bringing the Shia sect of the Muslim religion to these lands.

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Is tomb is located in this village, making Moulay Idriss Zerhoun an important peregrination place for Moroccan, being closed to foreigners until 2005. Nowadays, the building where the tomb is located is still closed to non-Muslims, as all the mosques in the country; only the madrasas (Islamic school) are open to foreigners.

This village, with its compact white building sliding down the hill, is a good contrast with the busyness of Meknes medina. The pace is slow here and Mulay Idriss is a good opportunity to observe the rural lifestyle where the donkeys still play an important role carrying good uphill, and where the markets offer an appealing variety of fresh vegetables and fruits.

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Moulay Idriss main saqure — Moulay Idriss main sqaure

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Where to sleep in Mulay Idriss:

There’s no special reason to sleep in Mulay Idriss and walking around didn’t spot any sign of accommodation.

But as Moulay Idriss Zerhoun is so close to Meknes, can easy be reached by taxi or public bus, in a day trip with still lot’s of time to visit Volubilis… so there isn’t an important reason to stay overnight in this village.

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Where to eat in Mulay Idriss:

On the street that goes from the bus stand (number 15) to the main square, as also in the square itself, there are several options for food, selling kebabs and tagines. As the food here is mostly meat orientated and the prices are a bit higher, it was a good opportunity to try the Moroccan style sandwiches, which are a bit everywhere. It’s basically half of a flatbread, stuffed with what you choose from the food that is available at the window… can be meat, but there’s a choice for vegetarians, as grill vegetables, egg, boiled potato, deep fry aubergine…

As you cross the main gate, on the way to the Mulay Idriss’s tomb, you’ll hardly found any shop o place to eat, so it’s better to surrender and choose one of the restaurants or eateries downstairs, around the main square, and ignore trying the insistent invitation of restaurant employees.

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How to move around in Mulay Idriss:

Definitely on foot, but be prepared to climb the steep narrow street, some of them with steps, that which spread around the whole hill, but on the top, you will be rewarded with nice views.

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How to go from Meknes to Moulay Idriss:

To visit Moulay Idriss and Volubilis you can catch the local bus, called City Bus, number 15. It stops in Avenue Mohammed VI, close by the roundabout. The place is easy to reach: if you are in from the Bab Mansour, just walk down, to the right side and you’ll see the roundabout from where the avenue starts; the bus stop in the beginning of the avenue and despite the lack of a sign you’ll see lots of people waiting there for buses.

The ticket cost 7 Dirham and the trips take 30 minutes along a beautiful countryside landscape.

If you also want to visit Volubilis, there isn’t a direct way by public transport and you need to catch a shared taxi at Moulay Idriss.

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bus ticket price from Meknes to Mulay Idriss Zerhoun

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A quick guide to hammam experience in Morocco

Public baths, or hammam as they are called locally, are a “must do” in a Moroccan trip as they are still part of the routine of the local population, not just because of the traditions as also because many houses, particularly in the old parts of the cities (medinas), don’t have bathing facilities. And besides this, the public bath keeps playing an important role in social life, particularly for the women, who find in the hammams a place to socialize and move away from the housewives routines to which they are still totally dedicated.

Traditionally, in all Moroccan cities, towns and villages, where there is a mosque there’s also a hammam and a bakery!!! But they are not easy to spot, as many times there’s no sign outside or if there’s one it’s in Arabic writing. So this pushes many times the foreigner visitors to a more touristic (and expensive experience) where the hammam gets close to a spa, with comfort and western standards but where local people don’t go.

But if you are looking for a relaxing chill experience, a public hammam is not the best choice, as the conditions are simple and basic, without a proper dressing room, a place to sit, to be scrubbed or to receive a massage. There’s only the floor, the walls, tanks with cold and hot water, and few rooms at different temperatures… there are buckets all over the place and people move in a certain bustle by filling the buckets and transporting them to the different rooms, since there are no showers, using jugs to pour water on the body, with a mother and daughters or friends to help each other in this process. Forget the sophistication and the quietness of the spa cliché… this is much more interesting!!!!

In Morocco the hammam has total gender segregation; in the ones that don’t have these facilities there’s a different schedule for men and women. This makes that in the women side there are a lot of kids (both sex), and a lot of girls and teenagers, making it busy and noisy place where it’s a challenge to relax… but at the same time it’s a gathering of women from different generations where, without modesty or shame, the body is exposed showing how the aging process manifest in our bodies.

If you want a scrub (it’s used the French word gommage) or a massage you must ask to a friend or in the case that you are alone you can hire the services of the hammam staff.

Despite the noise and the movement I confess that the visit to the public bath end up being a very enjoyable and relaxing and experience, I recommend to be made at the end of the day, as when I come out I felt melting and with only energy to eat a soup before walking back to the guesthouse.

One curiosity… the water for the hammam is heated with fire, in fact, was this way that I spot the first public bath, as passing by a narrow door I saw a pile of wood, and at the end of a dark corridor a man feeding a huge stove.

It’s a very nice and interesting experience and I only try these baths at the end of my trip to Morocco, otherwise, I would have visited the hammam more times. Forget the glamorous idea of a hammam and join the locals… you’ll receive a lot of sincere smiles.

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Public hammam in Meknes:

In Meknes, the public hammam is located inside the medina, a few meters from the Lahdim Square, if you walk to the right side (with Bab Mansour on your back), along a narrow street, you’ll find the sign “Riad Ritaj Maison d’Hotel” that’s is also a restaurant. Just in front, on the opposite side of the alley, you’ll find a small and anonymous door without any sign that is the entrance to the hammam.

As far as I remember, this hammam open at 12 for women, but the schedule changes along the day, with the late afternoon reserved men, until 8 p.m. The entrance costs 10 Dirham and if you need a massage or scrub you must pay extra. Bring your own towel, soap, etc… buckets are available inside. The staff of Riad Ritaj it’s available to give you more detail information! Just ask, as they are very friendly!

In such a big medina, for sure Meknes have another hammam, but many times the people from hotels will point you the more touristic ones… I was very lucky as the owner of the Restaurant Mille et Une Nuits (located closely) gave me useful tips about the traditional hammam as also about the way it works and what to bring.

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Public hammam in Mulay Idriss:

In Mulay Idriss is more difficult to indicate the way to the hammam, as it is located in the old part of the village, somewhere in the maze of streets that spreads on the hillside, in a steep street with steps. It looks very small and it was almost impossible to understand the schedules, as the lady in charge spoke no English.

For sure that if you ask local people they all can point you the direction of the hammam!

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Public hammam in Imlil:

There’s also a hammam in Imlil more focus in the tourist clients, just on the right side of the road, after the turn to the Toubkal trail. It’s in a red colour building a bit up the hill but visible from the road, not far from the small bridge. The local association manages this place and the profits support the local community.

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Public hammam in Fes:

This was the only hammam that I visit in Morocco, so all I’m not sure if this is the Moroccan standard.

It’s located inside the medina, in one of the main streets, Rue Talaa Sghira, not far from the Bab Boujeloud, the most famous gate. It’s called Hammam Sidi Azouz (you can find in Google maps as also Maps.me app). Walk down the street you’ll spot a simple door, with an arc shape, tiles on the tiles on the background wall and a sign above (check the photos below).

At the entrance, you need to pay the hammam fee, 15 Dirham, to the doorman. Once you step inside you reach the dressing room, a large room, with high ceiling formed by vaults of Moorish style. Here there are bench and closets where you can put clothes and stuff. There are no security lockers but the place seemed to be safe and there’s a person apparently cleaning and taking care of the place, whom I tip with 5 Dirhams to keep an eye on my stuff.

Once you cross a small door, you’ll get inside the bath area of the hammam, a sequence of rooms with an arched ceiling and a black and white tile floor, that as you move further get warmer and warmer. On the last one, where you can feel the intensity of the hot steam, there are two big water tanks, one cold and the other one very hot, from where the ladies fill up their buckets. It’s a place without windows and the only light comes from the small openings on the top of the high ceiling, wrapping the place with a dim light, that with the steam create a fantastic ambiance.

There’s a lady in charge, to who took care of me, and by gestures and a few French words guide me in this experience, bringing me water buckets, point me where to stay, poured water over me to remove the soap and scrub my entire body… she’s also responsible for the massage but I skip that part as it was out of my budget.

The scrubbing part I confess was the most impressive… following the instruction of the lady, I just lay down on the floor (that is warm) while she scrubs my body vigorously with a proper glove. It was intense and for moments I thought that my skin couldn’t handle with such rough treatment, but after the first impact I start to enjoy the sensation and at the same time the feeling of total surrender to the care of someone else.

For the scrub I pay 50 Dirham, which is more than the locals pay for this service but I really enjoy it and I felt very grateful for her help managing the hammam procedures.

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What you need for a hammam:

Towel
Soap and shampoo… or the traditional “beldi” or “savon beldi”, a kind of olive soap, that maybe doesn’t look appealing by its dark colour but will give an extra smoothness to the skin. You can buy in some herbalist shops in the medina markets.
For the scrubbing, you need your own glove (you can find easily at the souk and according to the quality it can cost from 5 to 15 Dirham).
Big bucket and a small jug that you can buy at the souk… I use the big buckets available at the hammam and borrow the jug from a lady there.
Some ladies bring a small plastic stool to avoid sitting directly on the floor, as there are no benches or whatsoever to seat, but a towel can also work.
.. no one uses them but I always appreciate and avoid you to slip.

In terms of etiquette, on the men side, it isn’t accepted full nudity. At the ladies side, most of the women wear only panties, and nothing to cover the breasts. So is better to bring extra underwear to change after the bath.

To be honest, I can’t add more detailed information than what is written in this blog… and with a male perspective!!!

//theviewfrommorocco.blogspot.com/2006/12/future-home-for-view-from-fez.html

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that dark brown paste in the center of the photo is the “savon beldi”, a traditional olive soap

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Meknes… the medina and the square

After traveling through deserted landscapes and small settlements, it is time to return to the great urban agglomerations, and Meknes was the chosen city, as an anticipation of the great city of Fes. Despite being one of the 4 Imperial cities (the others are Fez, Marrakesh and Rabat) and the sixth biggest city in terms of population in Morocco, is far from being a popular tourist destination, compared with Marrakesh and Fes.

Maybe the medina it’s not so attractive in terms of shopping if looking for traditional crafts but it’s more authentic and reflects more the local lifestyle, away from the Moroccan cliché of the wool carpets, silver jewelry, colorful tagines, spices shops, brass lamps and leather slippers, which in Marrakesh take over the main medina streets, pushing away the local commerce.

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Without a doubt, the center of the local life in Meknes is the Lahdim Square a.k.a. Al Hadim Square, that faces Bab Mansour the main entrance gate of the sultan’s palace, built in the 18 century. This square works as a transition ground between the Medina and Imperial City of Meknes. During the day the square is occupied by an uncharacteristic market, which extends along the street that circles the medina on the left side. But at the end of the day that this square gains the magic atmosphere, when the sunset light illuminates the facade of the Bab Mansour, dyeing it of warm tones and illuminating the intricate geometric mosaic patterns and enhancing the Moorish architecture style.

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Is at this time that Lahdim Square gains a greater intensity, with people gathering at the square, checking the clothes stalls, selling most of the times charmless and uncharacteristic clothes “made in turkey”, having a snail snack, ride a pony, eat sweet cotton, buy bread and fruits, or a Bob Marley poster… it’s a lively and colorful moment of this square that is never empty. It’s a humble version of you can find in Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakesh but it’s cozy and cute.

Also busy, are the medina street where the domestic life extends beyond the boundaries of house doors, filling the streets of children and women’s groups with conversations from the daily routine of grocery shopping. The men gather in cafes and terraces watching the movement of the streets, in a calm contemplation that doesn’t expect surprises. While the main streets of the medina are already taken by less interesting commerce, the small streets keep a more traditional atmosphere and lifestyle, where each zone is dedicated to a specific type of trade or crafts. Small shops that look like they stop in time where apparently nothing change in the last decades, allowing a uniform layer of dust to remove color from the objects that look like they lost the fait of finding an owner.

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The food markers located outside the medina walls are busy and alive being a good opportunity to buy fresh products for a good price… don’t know if they were cheating me with the prices but I found very fair what they charged. Autumn is the season for grapes, pomegranates, cactus figs, oranges and apples. All this smells mix with the voices of the sellers who announce their products in hoarse and indecipherable melodies, creating a frantic atmosphere.

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Walking along the medina, zoom out from the restless movement of people, you’ll have the change to spot the traditional Moorish architecture, mix with more modern buildings, where the warm colors of the walls, in grades from red to yellow, make a beautiful contrast with the clear blue winter sky.

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Where to sleep in Meknes:

As Meknes is a bit away from the backpacker’s trail and many people only come here as a day tour, that includes also Moulay Idriss and Volubilis, there’s a lack of budget options and apparently, there’s not a hostel with dorms, a thing that is widely available in Marrakesh. So this makes the cost of the accommodation a bit higher than other cities in Morocco, however, this can be an opportunity to stay in a place with a bit more sophistication and comfort.

Arriving in the middle of the night (the bus from Merzouga arrive around 2.30 a.m.) without a booking was not the most enjoyable experience as all the accommodations close the door in the evening and not all are happy to open it to guests at this time.

But there was an exception… the receptionist of Riad Malak (16 Sidi Amar Bouaouada, Medina Meknes) despite being fully booked allow us to rest at his living room until morning, take the breakfast there (amazing breakfast and the best of all Moroccan trip) and made all the efforts to arrange an alternative accommodation that suits our budget. These gentle and helpful being made all Meknes stay much better. Strongly recommend this place to stay.

During the three days spent in Morocco, we stay at a place that was not yet (November 2018) to public located nearby Riad Malak, at Erb sidi ahmed, just next door to a Jewish Silver shop. The way to get a room here, by now, is to contact the Restaurant Mille et Une Nuits (contact: 035559002), close by, on the way to the main square. It’s a traditional building, totally renovated, and decorated with good taste. The rooftop has an excellent view of the entire city. As it was still closed to the public a double room costs 220 Dirham without breakfast.

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Meknes view form the rooftop of the guesthouse... most of the accommodation have a rooftop that are a nice spot to chill — Meknes view form the rooftop of the guesthouse… most of the accommodation have a rooftop that are a nice spot to chill

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NOTICE: avoid the Youth Hostel of Mekens that despite being far away from the medina, located in a modern upper class area without many options in terms of food, has also a very rude and unfriendly receptionist.

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Where to eat in Meknes:

To be honest didn’t have a proper meal during the three days that I spent in Meknes, not because of the lack of options but mainly due to the huge amount of snacks available along the street maze of the medina. In fact, Meknes was a delight for the plate, with lots of small shops or street stalls selling sweets, a big choice of bread, olives, nuts and dry fruits… and as it was almost Winter, the oranges and pomegranates pop up as also the cactus figs coming from the more desert areas.

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Sweets… in fact (plus Fes) where the best places to explore the endless variations of the traditional Moroccan sweets, many of them made with puff pastry, stuffed with nuts and soaked in a sweet syrup: if they attract bees, probably they are made with honey… otherwise, if it’s just a sugar syrup the flies take over 😉

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traditional Moroccan sweets made with puff pastry and stuff with nuts

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There’s a big concentration of restaurants in the main square, in front of the Bab Mansour, with the usual Moroccan gastronomy but what attracts me more are the informal eateries, frequented exclusively by the local population, each of them specialized in a certain type of food, without having a menu or so. Close by the West Gate of the medina, a less know gate away from tourist area on the way to Mausoleum of Sheikh El Kamel, there’s a few of these eateries, one of them open to the street serving besara, a Moroccan fava soup, that here is delicious, served in a big bowl, with a generous topping o olive oil and lots of paprika. A soup that with bread is a filling meal costs 7 Dirham. You can also reach this are walking from the Lahdim Square walk along the street where the date sellers are concentrated, followed by the blacksmiths’ area.

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besara... traditional fava soup, with a generous topping of olive oil and paprika — besara… traditional fava soup, with a generous topping of olive oil and paprika

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There are cafés all over Morocco, but it is in the large urban centers that one can find the most sophisticated versions where one can feel the strong influence of the French culture. And Meknes offer plenty of options in terms of cafes, with many concentrated along the avenue in front of Bab Mansour, that is a good place to chill and watch the movement of the people, absorbed in their daily routine. A coffee is not a cheap thing in Morocco and can easily cost 10 Dirham if you ask for espresso, but is part of the experience being in a place where almost all clients are men, as these places don’t attract many women in Morocco… tea is also available and in fact is much more popular.

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How to move around in Meknes medina:

The Meknes medina is not difficult in orientation, and it’s not so big as the one in Fes. The main streets are almost focused in products for the local population, mostly clothes, houseware, electronic stuff, etc… but it still worth to walk around as here you get more in contact with the authentic lifestyle than what you can get in Marrakesh or Fes.

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Public bath (hammam) in Meknes:

Public bath or hammam as they is called locally are a “must do” in a Moroccan trip as they are still part of the routine of the local population, as in many houses, particularly in the old parts of the cities, there’s are still houses without bathing facilities. And besides this, the public bath keeps playing an important role in social life, particularly for the women, who find in the hammams a place to live away from the role of housewives to which they are still totally dedicated.

Traditionally, in all Moroccan cities, towns and villages, where there is a mosque there’s also a hammam and a bakery!!! But they are not easy to spot, as many times there’s no sign outside or if there’s one it’s in Arabic writing. So this pushes many times the foreigner visitor to a more touristic (and expensive experience) where the hammam gets close to a spa, with comfort and western standards but where local people don’t go.

In Meknes, there’s easy to reach inside the medina, a few meters from the Lahdim Square, if you walk to the right side, until you find the sign “Riad Ritaj Maison d’Hotel” that’s is also a restaurant, you’ll find just in front a door without any sign that is the entrance to the hammam.

As far as I remember, this hammam open at 12, but it changes according to the day, with the afternoon reserved to women, opening after for men until 8 p.m. The entrance costs 10 Dirham and if you need a massage or scrub you must pay extra. Bring your towel, soap, etc… buckets are available inside. The staff of Riad Ritaj it’s available to give you more detail information! Just ask as they are very friendly!

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entrance of public hammam on the right side

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How to go from Meknes to Moulay Idriss:

The ticket cost 7 Dirham and the trips take 30 minutes along a beautiful countryside landscape.

If you also want to visit Volubilis, there isn’t a direct way by public transport and you need to catch a shared taxi at Moulay Idriss.

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The Bus 15 to Mulay Idriss stops in Avenue Mohammed VI, close by the roundabout, on the opposite side of the small stall that works as information desk of City Bus (the ticket is sold inside the bus)

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How to go from Meknes to Fes:

There are buses and trains all day, with a frequent schedule, as the distance is very short, and Meknes is on the way from Rabat to Fes, two of Moroccan biggest cities.

My choice was for the train. The train station is not far from the city center and can be reached by taxi or local bus. Watch out as there are two trains station in Meknes, and not all trains stop in both; the main station is called “Menes” where you can also find the CTM bus terminal, and a smaller one called “Gare Al Amir Abdul Kader” quieter.

You can buy the ticket just before the trip or online, where you can also check schedules details: //www.oncf.ma/en/

The trains are modern, clean and on time.

The trip takes 50 minutes and the ticket cost 22 Dirham.

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Mulay Idriss and the countryside lifestyle

Where to sleep in Mulay Idriss:

Where to eat in Mulay Idriss:

How to move around in Mulay Idriss:

How to go from Meknes to Moulay Idriss:

A quick guide to hammam experience in Morocco

Public hammam in Meknes:

Public hammam in Mulay Idriss:

Public hammam in Imlil:

Public hammam in Fes:

What you need for a hammam:

Meknes… the medina and the square

Where to sleep in Meknes:

NOTICE: avoid the Youth Hostel of Mekens that despite being far away from the medina, located in a modern upper class area without many options in terms of food, has also a very rude and unfriendly receptionist.

Where to eat in Meknes:

How to move around in Meknes medina:

Public bath (hammam) in Meknes:

How to go from Meknes to Moulay Idriss:

How to go from Meknes to Fes:

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Meknes

Where to sleep in Mulay Idriss:

Where to eat in Mulay Idriss:

How to move around in Mulay Idriss:

How to go from Meknes to Moulay Idriss:

Public hammam in Meknes:

Public hammam in Mulay Idriss:

Public hammam in Imlil:

Public hammam in Fes:

What you need for a hammam:

Where to sleep in Meknes:

NOTICE: avoid the Youth Hostel of Mekens that despite being far away from the medina, located in a modern upper class area without many options in terms of food, has also a very rude and unfriendly receptionist.

Where to eat in Meknes:

How to move around in Meknes medina:

Public bath (hammam) in Meknes:

How to go from Meknes to Moulay Idriss:

How to go from Meknes to Fes:

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