DAY 4 VOLUBILIS/FEZ

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Today was a fantastic day being a much more authentic Moroccan experience. Spent the morning exploring the old Berber city of Meknes. The town briefly thrived during the 17th century when Sultan Moulay Ismail set out to build a vast legacy of grand palaces using Versailles as his inspiration and then enclosed by vast wall with huge grand gates. The city declined after his death and further damaged by an earthquake before some more recent renovations have been made to restore the city.

One of the most impressive architectural feats of this era is the immense Heri es Souani Granary which was used to cool, store and feed a vast stable of horses. The immense size was to ensure the community was always prepared for seige or drought. While now partially in ruins it is easy to see that the design had a clever system of underfloor water channels to control the blistering summer temperatures.

Next was a short trip to the world Heritage-listed site of Volubilis, once a distant outpost of the Roman Empire. Wandered through the site with a local guide along the Decumanus Maximus (main road) where many of the structures remain intact and filled with fantastic mosaics.

We then had a two-hour drive past extensive rich fields of agriculture especially olive Groves for a two night stop in Fes at the Hotel Olympic.

Our guide (Abdu) is a Berber Moroccan & wants the trip to be a memoral food as well as a cultural experience so a Camel Burger was on the menu for lunch( very tasty) while for dinner we had a five course group banquet at this stunning Moroccan mansion within the Medina walls.

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Photos

Heri es Souani Granary
3 mtr thick wall

Horse stables
12000 horses stabled & fed

Ruins
Some of the survivors of massive earthquake