On The Road to Fes
/Our Moroccan journey got us up before the sun to begin our trek from Casablanca to Fes. In fact, the sun didn’t rise until around 8:30 am. That’s because last year the Moroccan government stayed on daylight savings time permanently! What novel concept.
We had several stops to make as we said goodbye to Casablanca, on the way to Fes. We drove through changing scenery - urban to suburban to our first destination, the capitol city of Rabat and the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace of Rabat is a working palace, but not the permanent residence of King Mohammaed VI, the 23rd king of the Alaouite Dynasty, the reign of which started in the mid-17th century.
Just outside the palace are the Moroccan Army headquarters, several government and ministry buildings and 7 miles of the original wall.
Nearby is the Mausoleum of the highly respected King Mohammad V. During the Holocaust Mohammad V protected the Moroccan Jewish population from the Nazi and Vichy French governments, saving the country’s 250,000 Jews from almost certain death at the Nazi concentration camps.
Inside the mausoleum are the tombs of King Mohammed V and his sons King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.
Guards in 18th century designed uniforms are stationed at all four doors. They are very gracious when it comes to pictures.
Mohammed V’s mausoleum is next to the unfinished Yaqub al-Mansur Mosque. This structure was commissioned in the late 1100’s but was never completed after al-Mansur’s death in 1199. Much of the completed structure was destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Original materials were used in the restoration in 1995.
Our next stop, also in Rabat - the Kasbah of the Udayas. While a 1979 song by The Clash might come to mind, a kasbah is actually a fortress. This one was originally built in the 12th century to defend the city along the river.
Nearly one thousand years later, the kasbah is home to some two thousand Rabat residents! It is also a popular tourist destination, with its narrow streets, quaint gardens, traditional artwork and cafes.
Our final stop, the historic city of Meknes. Founded in the 11th century, it became the capitol of Morocco for a time while under the rule of Moulay Ismail in the late 1600s. Known as “Bloody King” due to his cruelty, Moulay Ismail built a grand palace at Meknes, gardens, ornate gates, more than forty kilometres of walls and numerous mosques.
Today Meknes is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, filled with history, a marketplace , gardens and sprinkled with a dash of wonder.
Tonight we rest - tomorrow we explore Fes.