An Intro to Meknes by Way of Rabat

The tour got off to a running start, semi-literally, with a brisk walk from our hotel through the giant traffic circle and to the Casa Voyageurs Train Station where we caught a second class train to Rabat. I will say one thing for the people of Morocco, they are unfailingly polite. While they may try to sit where they aren’t supposed too (our booked train seats for example), they will apologize and move with smiles on their faces and “so sorry” coming from their lips. They’ll hold doors open, lift heavy suitcases up stairs, and say “Bonjour” to everyone. Even when they’re trying to run you over with their cars in the streets (traffic rules are guidelines at most in many cities), they’ll honk to tell you no hard feelings (or maybe just encourage you to move out of their way faster).

A quick hour train deposited us in the middle of Rabat, the capitol city of Morocco. Rabat was founded in the 12th century by Almohads, a Berber tribe that ruled much of Northern Africa until they’re were defeated by the Marinids. After the collapse of the Almohads society, the city went into an extended period of decline and in the 17th century Rabat became a haven for Barbary pirates. The French established a protectorate over Morocco in 1912 and made Rabat its administrative center. When Morocco achieved independence in 1955, Rabat became its capital.

Next door to Rabat (just across the River) is Sale, currently a commuter town for Rabat workers, but in the 1600s is was a thriving community of Moors that had been expelled from Spain by King Philip II. The Moors developed an autonomous colony that became the home of the Sale Rovers, a group of corsairs pirates that attacked ships from Western Europe and sold their crews into slavery.  The Sale Rovers were the first (if we discount the ribats that most likely were built in the same area centuries earlier) to start building what is today called the Kasbah of the Udayas (also spelled "Kasbah of the Oudaias”). 

The Udayas (or Oudayas) were a guich tribe (“Army" tribe), brought in by a paranoid sultan, Moulay Ismail, to serve in his military in the kasbah as a counterbalancing force against other unruly tribes in the region that wanted the sultan dead (he spent 25 years quelling unrest between the tribes and within his family - his nephew was constantly trying to assassinate him in order to take the throne). However, the name "Udaya" only became associated with the kasbah in the 19th century, after the tribe was permanently expelled from the region of Fez by the Alaouite sultan Abd ar-Rahman and their remaining members settled in the kasbah.

The Rabat Kasbah is small and has undergone a lot of renovations and modernizations, leadings to wider roadways, cleaner buildings, and a more modern atmosphere. The area is mostly residential, with only a few shops and restaurants. Adjoining the Kasbah, is the souk, with its many aisles full of shops and wares for sale. We found a sugar cane merchant and introduced the others in the group to this delightful drink (Nathan is now as addicted as I am).

Our walking tour (sans guide) through Rabat led us from the Kasbah, along the waterfront, through the souk, through a park, across half the town, and to Hassan Tower (Tour Hassan). Hassan Tower is all that was completed of what was supposed to be the largest minaret in the world (1100s), and part of what was supposed to be the largest mosque in the western Muslim world. The mosque was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub Al-Mansur, the third Caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, but when he died in 1199, the enthusiasm for the project withered and it was never finished. All that stands now is the 44m tower and 348 partial columns that would have made up the mosque. 

Across from the failed Hassan Mosque, is the modern day Mausoleum of Muhammad V. Both areas can be accessed through a gate on either side that are guarded by ceremonial Moroccan soldiers on horseback. I believe that they are posted there for Mohammad V and not Hassan. These soldiers are some of the only ones in the country that you’re legally allowed to take pictures of or with.

After visiting the tower, the five of us made our way back to the Rabat train station to meet up with Khalid and head (1st class this time, although not as fancy as the new bullet train we’d taken to Tangier) to Meknes.

Meknes is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. It was founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement. It became the capital of Morocco under the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail (the paranoid sultan I referenced earlier) in 1672. It remained the capital until 1755 when the Lisbon quake destroyed much of the area. Sultan Ismail created a massive imperial palace complex and Medina (city), that was surrounded by a series of fortifications and monumental gates. Due to the constant wars for control of the area and fighting against his nephew, Ismail added additional walls within the city several times. 

The Sultan had 500 wives/concubines and over 800 children (how he had time to conquer anything is a mystery if he spent his time with that many women and children, but then again, Genghis Khan had 3000 or more kids and took over half the world). He was also good at figuring out how to use people for their strengths, whether it’d be recognizing the art genius of a slave and making him a chief architect, making a wife a minister, or taking slaves and turning them into soldiers, as a few examples.

Since our main tour of the Medina was to be the next day, Friday, and Friday is the day many things are closed, we hopped in a Grand Taxi (bigger, communal taxi, but easily accommodated the six of us) and headed to the Medina after quickly checking into our fancy hotel for the evening and headed to see Ismail’s mausoleum. The tomb is not open on Fridays and it’s definitely worth a look. The interior contains traditional Moroccan mosaic tile work, a few small courtyards, and a fountain. 

Khalid offered the group the option to have an authentic Moroccan meal in the home of a local couple and we all jumped at the opportunity. Our hosts for the evening were a young couple that own the first floor of a home in the old part of the Medina. The flat consists of a small bathroom, small kitchen, central open space, small family area, and then the guests’ space. According to Khalid, Moroccan culture decrees that the biggest space in the home be reserved for guests. This space is the nicest (with couches and pillows, so it can be used for relaxing, dining, or sleeping), the cleanest, and the family stays out of it. Moroccan culture also decrees that the family make the guests as comfortable as possible, but don’t join them (I’m not sure if the last would hold true if the guests were friends and family of the homes owners); therefore, unfortunately, our hosts served us, but didn’t sit and chat or interact much outside bringing the numerous dishes and answering a few direct questions about the meal.

All of the food was bought and prepared fresh for us that afternoon, and even though it was only Thursday, we had Couscous. Typically couscous is served on Fridays only and does not mean just the grain. When Moroccans say couscous as a meal, they meal a large tangine filled with couscous on the bottom, meat in the middle, and vegetables on top. The meal is typically cooked in a special pot and then compiled in the tangine for serving. Each side of the presented dish will be the same, as you’re only supposed to eat what is in front of you, and never to the right or left. The reason the meal is made on Fridays is because Fridays are the day of giving offerings to the mosque and to helping those in need. Couscous will expand and therefore you can always stretch it a bit further if you need to add another person to the dinner table. In the older days, once your family was done eating, you would take the left overs and knock on your neighbor’s door and give it to them, or share it with someone; just never let it go to waste.

To go with our tangine, we had some side dishes (called hot salads here). There was a slightly spicy eggplant dish, one with simmered and charred red peppers and tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. Everything was homemade using homemade spice mixtures created by our hostess. To cap the meal off, we had toasted meringues filled with a sweet peanut mixture and some lemon verbena tea. I am definitely not going to lose weight in this country. The meal was fabulous and we left very sated.

When we got back to the hotel, Em found out that the restaurant on the roof offered local wine and so we had a night cap of local red while enjoying the sunset.