Moulay Ismail and the Building of Meknes

Moulay Ismail deliberately chose Meknes over the traditional Alaouite base of Fes. Fes was dominated by powerful merchant families and Islamic scholars who had resisted his predecessors, and he wanted a city where he, not the religious establishment, would set the political tone. Meknes also sits on fertile agricultural land with easy access to the Sais plain, making it easier to supply a massive construction workforce and a standing army.

Historical sources — including accounts from European ambassadors who visited his court — suggest Moulay Ismail had around 500 concubines and wives in his palace at various points during his reign. The Guinness World Records has cited him as having fathered over 500 children, though some historians treat these numbers as court propaganda intended to project dynastic power and fertility. What is certain is that the sheer number of potential heirs made succession after his death chaotic.

The Abid al-Bukhari, commonly called the Black Guard, was a corps of Black African soldiers assembled by Moulay Ismail to serve as his personal standing army. Unlike tribal militias, they owed loyalty directly to him. Ismail registered their families and children, ensuring that sons would enter military service and daughters would marry within the corps, effectively creating a hereditary military class. At their peak, estimates range from 50,000 to over 150,000 soldiers. Their descendants are still a recognised community in Morocco.

Bab Mansour is widely considered the finest ceremonial gate in the Maghreb. Its scale alone is striking — the central arch soars around 18 metres — but the decoration is what makes it exceptional: intricate zellige tile panels, carved stucco arabesque, and two Roman columns from Volubilis flanking the entrance. The gate was designed by a convert from Christianity named Mansour Laalej, and completed in 1732, five years after Moulay Ismail's death. It was never actually used as a functioning entrance; it was pure architectural statement.

Moulay Ismail used European Christian captives both as a labour force and as diplomatic currency. Moroccan corsairs operating out of Salé captured European sailors and coastal village residents from Spain, Portugal, Britain and France throughout the late 17th century. Ismail held them in an underground complex beneath the stables in Meknes — the Qara Prison — and periodically negotiated their ransom with European powers. The Irish slave Thomas Pellow, who converted to Islam and served in Ismail's army, later wrote a memoir that remains one of the most vivid first-hand accounts of the period.

Meknes is genuinely undervisited relative to its historical importance, which makes it a better experience in some respects than the more tourist-heavy cities. The medina is easy to navigate without hassle, the main monuments are concentrated and walkable, and the combination of Bab Mansour, the Heri es-Souani granaries, and the mausoleum gives you a solid half-day of real content. Most people visit as a day trip from Fes (about 45 minutes by train), which is the efficient choice, though an overnight lets you see the city without tour groups. Combined with Volubilis, it makes for a full and rewarding day.

From Fes, the easiest option is the ONCF train — departures roughly every hour or two, journey time around 45 minutes, tickets from about 35 MAD (indicative). Shared grands taxis from Fes also run this route and cost slightly more but stop closer to the medina. From Marrakech, the train takes around 5–6 hours with a change at Casablanca-Voyageurs; most visitors heading from Marrakech include Meknes as part of a broader imperial cities itinerary with an overnight. A private driver gives you the flexibility to combine Meknes and Volubilis in a single day comfortably.