Meknes Medina: Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood

Every visit begins here. Place El-Hedim is the broad, café-lined square that opens onto Bab Mansour — arguably the finest ornamental gate in North Africa. Built by Sultan Moulay Ismail in the early 18th century, the gate's carved cedar, zellige tile panels and Italian marble columns are spectacular up close. The square itself is animated in the evenings, when locals promenade and food stalls appear. Cross through Bab Mansour and you enter the Dar Jamai museum courtyard; allow 45 minutes for the collection of Moroccan decorative arts inside the former vizier's palace.

• Best photographs of Bab Mansour: early morning, golden light from the east
• Dar Jamai museum entry: indicative 20 MAD
• Evening food stalls in El-Hedim: 5–20 MAD per snack

Turn left out of the Dar Jamai entrance and you drop into the working souk grid. The lanes here are narrow but navigable — nothing like the labyrinthine confusion of Fes el-Bali. Meknes is known for its ironwork and pottery, and you will find workshops where craftsmen actually work rather than perform for cameras. The Souk Sebbat (shoe souk) is fragrant with leather. Follow the sound of hammering for the coppersmith quarter, where trays and lanterns are still beaten by hand. Prices here are lower than Marrakech or Fes for comparable quality — expect to haggle, but the opening prices are less inflated than in the bigger tourist cities.

• Ironwork lanterns from ~150–400 MAD (indicative)
• Copper trays from ~80 MAD (indicative)
• Haggling is expected; aim for 60–70% of first price

A short walk north of the souks brings you to the Medersa Bou Inania (not to be confused with the same-named medersa in Fes). Built in the 14th century under the Marinid sultan Abou Inan, it is one of the finest examples of Moroccan religious architecture open to non-Muslim visitors. The central courtyard features carved stucco, cedar latticework screens and a reflecting pool. Climb the stairs to student cells for rooftop views over the medina minarets. Nearby, the Grand Mosque of Meknes is closed to non-Muslims but its green-tiled minaret is visible from several points and frames the neighbourhood distinctively.

• Medersa entry: indicative 10–20 MAD
• Best courtyard light: 10 am–noon
• No shorts or sleeveless tops inside; bring a scarf

On the south side of Place El-Hedim, past Bab Mansour, lies the vast walled area of the Royal City — Moulay Ismail's 17th-century imperial complex. The Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail is one of the few sacred sites in Morocco open to respectful non-Muslim visitors. The burial chamber is surrounded by fine tile work, carved plaster and old clocks — a quirky collection given to the sultan by Louis XIV. Beyond the mausoleum, the Heri es-Souani granary and Agdal Basin are a ten-minute walk: the vast stone granary once stored grain and weapons for Moulay Ismail's 150,000-strong army, and the scale of the vaulted chambers is genuinely staggering.

• Mausoleum entry is free; dress modestly
• Heri es-Souani entry: indicative 10 MAD
• A calèche (horse-drawn carriage) between sites: ~30–50 MAD (negotiate first)

North-east of the main medina, the Mellah is Meknes's former Jewish quarter, established in the 17th century. Today it is a quiet residential area with wide-arched doorways, wrought-iron balconies and occasional Hebrew inscriptions still visible above thresholds. The Ibn Danan Synagogue — restored in the 1990s — can be visited by appointment; it is the oldest functioning synagogue in Morocco outside of the large cities. The neighbourhood has a different architectural rhythm from the Islamic medina, and the pace is calm enough that you will hear your own footsteps. Vendors here sell nothing; it is purely a place for unhurried walking.

• Ask your guide or riad to arrange synagogue access in advance
• Allow 30–40 minutes to walk the main lanes
• Best combined with a morning medina walk