Evening circles
Storytellers and musicians.
xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · Robert Prazeres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · János Korom Dr. >16 Million views from Wien, Austria — CC BY-SA 2.0 · ArishG — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Daemon11 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada — CC BY 2.0 · Unknown — Public domain · ArishG — CC BY-SA 3.0
The great square of old Meknes, separating the medina from Moulay Ismail's kasbah, with Bab Mansour on its south side. Its name, el-Hedim, means demolition, as it was laid out under Sultan Moulay Ismail after houses on the site were pulled down to make a broad square before his kasbah. The square is the heart of life in Meknes, often compared with Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech, though calmer and less crowded with tourists. It is ringed by cafés with terraces, street-food stalls, a covered market of vegetables, fruit, olives and sweets on one side and the Dar Jamaï museum on another. In the evening the square comes alive, as people gather around storytellers, musicians and acrobats, Bab Mansour lights up, and the overlooking terraces become the best place to drink tea and take in the scene. The square is open and free, and the ideal starting point for Meknes, a few steps from Bab Mansour, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the Dar Jamaï museum and the old medina.
Storytellers and musicians.
Olives and sweets.
Views over the square.
Between the old medina and the Ismaili kasbah, Meknes
Bab MansourThe most famous and beautiful gate of Meknes and one of the finest historic gate1 minute walk
Dar Jamaï Museum (National Museum of Music)A late nineteenth-century palace on Place el-Hedim, built in 1882 for the Jamaï 2 minutes walk
Qara PrisonA series of underground vaulted chambers built in the early eighteenth century b3 minutes walk
Bou Inania Madrasa, MeknesA Marinid madrasa in the heart of old Meknes near the Grand Mosque, founded by t3 minutes walk
Mausoleum of Moulay IsmailA funerary complex holding the tomb of Sultan Moulay Ismail, who ruled Morocco f4 minutes walkIt shares its evening life and performance circles but is much calmer and less touristy, giving a more local glimpse of Meknes.