Sunday, April 4, 2010

Meknes





Meknes is, along with Fez, Casablanca and Marrakech, one of Morocco's imperial cities. This means that, at various times, Moroccan Sultans have moved the capital from one place to the other and then back again. Meknes has a very impressive and lively medina encircled in large fortifications with enormous and elaborately decorated gates.

Meknes has a vibrant market that caters to local people, rather than tourists. As we wandered through the medina's maze, Charlie and I watched men making all manner of items, including furniture, mattresses, shoes, lamps and even ribbons. Of all the big cities we visited, Meknes' medina was by far the place I felt safest wandering around at night. (I refused to even try it in Marrakech, with all the sketchy characters hanging out around every unlit alley.) Meknes' medina was full of families and, although the place was busy at all times, it really came alive at night, when the heat of the day receded.

As we walked through the central square, among the acrobats, snake charmers, boxers, water bearers and drummers, we wished we could understand Arabic to find out what words were being said by the orators keeping several large groups of only men completely enthralled.

No comments:

Post a Comment