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Bab Mansour El Alj:
One of the best known and admired of Meknes' grand
gates.
The gate leads from the Imperial City and Lalla
Aouda esplanade to El-Hdim
Square.
Discovering
Meknes
 On
the way to our Cultural and Ecotourism conference
in Fés, we joined a group of fellow North
Americans to tour this fascinating Imperial City
and Seventeenth Century Capital of the Kingdom of
Morocco.
Our first stop was
by the ornate Bab Mansour El Alj (city gates) next
to the huge El-Hdim public square that was bustling
with activity and more photo ops that one could
hope to capture in the short time we were alloted.
The horse and carriages were out in force, each
driver patiently waiting his turn in line. The
rides are inexpensive and you will see much more of
the city than you would by conventional taxi. Most
lady delegates headed off in all directions to
browse and buy at the many interesting shops
surrounding the village square. They say that
Meknes, being known as one of the most prestigious
of Morocco's imperial cities, enjoys a central
position. It is located just west of the Saiss
plain, between the pre-Riffian elevation of Zerhoun
and the foothills of the Middle-Atlas mountain
range. Meknes sits on a plateau and once served as
a virtual cross roads for traders and settlers.
Thanks to its clement weather, abundant water
supplies, and surrounding fertile plains, Meknes
prospered.
  Arab
historians trace the origins of Meknes to the Roman
period in Morocco, perhaps as a forward post for
the neighboring Roman city of Volubilis in its
search for timber and volcanic rock required for
construction, and which the Atlas mountains must
have provided in plenty. Recent archeological
findings, however, do not offer convincing proof
That there was a virtual Romanization of a
settlement that would later develop into the great
capital of legendary King Moulay Ismail.
The great monuments, the
massive walls, the huge gates, the elaborate
gardens, the integrated neighborhoods, the bustling
markets, and the unique crafts and arts point to
layers of history compacted and superimposed in
every corner of the city. So much history for the
visitor to unravel and marvel; at that Meknes was
classified in 1996 as a World Heritage Site, surely
for the edification and pleasure of all
humanity.
The Souk of
Meknès: A
large variety of colorful handicrafts are
displayed. Below: The artistic displays of fresh
produce found at the Souk in Meknès make
these Moroccan Olives especially
enticing.
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Moulay-
Idriss
 The
saintly town of Moulay Idriss strikes the visitors
arriving by road from Meknès (15 miles away)
as a white mass clinging to the top of Zerhoun
elevation, as if resisting to fall down into the
river Khomane. The Roman city of Volubilis is just
a stone's throw away. This proximity, as well as
the presence of a thermal structure (bamma) and of
Roman columns stems, have led some to incorrectly
believe that the town has a Roman origin. The
town's name came from (Moulay) Idriss 1, a
descendant of the prophet and founder of the first
Muslim dynasty in Morocco, who was buried on the
site. In the beginning, only a few houses
surrounded the tomb. Then, as seventeenth century
historians Leo Africanus and Marmol pointed out,
habitations and construction began to spring up
around the mosque and tomb in order to accommodate
and serve an increasing number of
pilgrims.
The mausoleum had a cupola
added in 1660 by Sidi Abdelkader, Ben Addou,
himself a descendant of the Saint. Every year a
month of religious celebrations is dedicated to the
memory of Idriss, descendant of the prophet and
founder of the first Muslim dynasty in the
country
Volubilis
Host Day Tour at
the ATA Symposium in FEZ, Morocco will include a
visit to Volubilis, the famed Roman archaeological
site and former capital of the Mauritanian Kingdom.
Photo: Karen B. Hoffman
The Roman city of Volubilis is
situated about 18 miles from Meknes, 36 miles from
Fez, and only a couple of miles from Moulay Idriss
Zerhoun. It sits at an altitude of 400 meters on a
triangular rich plain bordered on both sides by two
small rivers (Oued Fertassa and Oued Khomane).
Arabs call Volubilis "Oualili," "Oualila"and "Ksar
Pharoun" (Pharaoh's Palace); names that have been
attested to by Latin epigraphs, Arab written
sources, and excavated coins from the Idrissid
period and before.
Volubilis grew and prospered
from the third century B.C. to B.C. 40, under the
successive rule of independent Mooorish Kings
(Bocchus the Elder, Bogud I, Bogud II. From this
period several monuments have been uncovered and
identified; namely, temples in the Mauretanean
-punic tradition and a mysterious tumulus. After
the assassination of King Ptolemy in B.C. 40 by
Caligula and the crushing of a revolt by Ademon in
ancient Mauretania, Emperor Claudius annexed the
region, dividing it into two parts: one to the West
with Tingi (Tangier) as its capital, the other to
the East with Caesara (in Algeria) as capital.
Volubilis was then elevated to the rank of a
municipality.
From 40 to 285, Volubilis
expanded spectacularly. During the first century
came the major urban structures, such as the
spacious roads (Decumani and Cardines), and the
public monuments (temples, thermal baths). The next
century saw further developments in the urban
tissue; most importantly, the wall surrounding the
city was founded by Marcus Aurelius (168-169),
together with the eight major gates linking the
city to the outside world. The monument-filled
center (the Forum, the Basilica, the Capitol, the
Triumphal Arch) came about during the Severius
dynasty, between 193 and 235. Also dating back to
this period are the stately homes with perislyles
and pools, the great mosaics (Orpheus Mosaics, the
Works of Hercules, Diana's Bath, Neriedes are some
of the well-preserved, much visited in-situ
mosaics), numerous bakeries, and about one hundred
oil presses attesting to the thriving economy f
this roman outpost.
Toward the end of the third
century, an era of decline nearly officially began
with the order of Emperor Diocletes to the Roman
administration and the army to cacate Volubilis and
the southern region in favor of the northern
coastal posts of Mogador, Sale, and Loukos. From
then on, what remained of the population shifted to
the west of Caracala's Arch, proceeded to raise a
protective wall toward the sixth century and even
continued to erect public structures. Some Latin
inscriptions found in the city's necropolis from
the period 599-655 indicate some Christianization
of the population.
Arab sources, and in
particular some found pre-Idrisside coins, point to
an Islamic presence in Volubilis had to wait early
as the beginning of the eight century. However, a
centralized Islamic authority in Volubilis had to
wait for the arrival of Idriss I, founder with his
son of the first Arabo-Islamic dynasty in Morocco.
Idriss had fled from Baghdad of the Abbasids and
settled in Zedrhoun, after the Ouraba Berber tribes
(led by Ishak welcomed and made him their Islamic
leader. For a brief time, Volubilis (or Oualili
served as capital of the new Islamic
kingdom.
After the assassination of
Idriss, his son, Idriss II, abandoned the city in
favor of Fez, which he founded and made the first
Arabo-Musli, capital of the first ruling dynasty of
Morocco. Meantime, Volubilis continued as an urban
center, receiving in the year 818 settlers from
Andulusia (the Rabedis). According to early Arab
historian, Al Bakri, Volubilis was still a sizable
agglomeration as late as 1086. Thereafter, most
probably due the successive raids of the Almoravids
(the next ruling dynasty) the city's resistance
came to an end. After this date, Arab historians
referred to Volubilis only as an abandoned city in
ruin.
After 1915, date at which
archeological digs began at Volubilis at the
initiative of the French Protectorate, the world
has come to discover the long history, the unique
architecture, and the rich and variegated artistic
legacy of a city that harbored successive and
successful communities for centuries. In 1997, this
legacy won the city (most deservedly) the
classification "Word Heritage Site"
USA: Moroccan Tourist
Office: 20 East 46th St., Suite 1201, New York, NY
10017, U.S.A. Tel.: 212-557-2520. Fax:
212-949-8148. Web Site:
http://www.tourism-in-morocco.com/
CANADA: Moroccan
National Tourist Office: Suite 1460, 2001 rue
Université, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A
2A6. Tel: +1 514 842 8111/2. Fax: +1 514 842
5316.
Photo Credits:
Karen B. Hoffman
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