Lonely Planet Morocco
Page 64
Ensemble ArtisanaleARTS & CRAFTS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Mohamed VI; h10am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat)
This is the place to go if you want to get an idea of what to look for and how much to spend. Quality is high, but prices are fixed.
Pottery StallsARTS & CRAFTS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pl el-Hedim; h9am-10pm)
Set up on the western side of Pl el-Hedim, in front of the covered market.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
SHOPPING IN THE SOUQS & QISSARIAT IN MEKNèS
There are many qissariat (covered markets) in Meknès. A couple of these are devoted to textiles and carpets, which are noisily auctioned off on Sunday mornings. Okchen Market (auctions happen around 2pm) specialises in fine embroidery. On Rue Najjarine, leading away from the Medersa Bou Inania, you’ll pass stalls of babouches (leather slippers) in multicoloured rows. Outside the western city wall, heading north from Bab Berrima, there's a colourful souq selling spices, herbs and nuts, and a lively marché aux puces (flea market).
8Information
There are plenty of banks with ATMs both in the ville nouvelle (mainly on Ave Hassan II and Ave Mohammed V) and the medina (Rue Rouamzine).
BMCE ( GOOGLE MAP ; 98 Ave des FAR; h8.15am-5.45pm Mon-Fri) In the ville nouvelle, with a currency-exchange office that opens Saturdays.
BMCE ( GOOGLE MAP ; Rue Rouamzine; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri) One of several banks along this street near Bab el-Mansour.
Délégation Régionale du Tourisme ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 52 44 26, 0535 51 60 22; Pl de l’Istiqlal; h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 8-11.30am Sat) Meknes' main tourist office is in the ville nouvelle, but it doesn't keep to its advertised opening hours.
Hôpital Moulay Ismail ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 52 28 05/06; off Ave des FAR)
Main Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; Pl de l’Istiqlal; h8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri & 8am-noon Sat)
Pharmacy el-Fath ( GOOGLE MAP ; Pl el-Hedim; h9.30am-1pm & 3.30-8pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm Sat) Around the back of Pl el-Hedim.
Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; Rue Dar Smen; h8.30am-6pm)
Quick Net ( GOOGLE MAP ; 28 Rue Amir Abdelkader; per hr Dh6; h9am-9pm)
RAM ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 52 09 63; 7 Ave Mohammed V; h8.30am-12.15pm & 2.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat) Handles tickets for Royal Air Maroc flights.
8Getting There & Away
Bus
The CTM bus station ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0522 43 82 82; Ave des FAR) is west of the ville nouvelle, a couple of blocks from the main train station.
CTM departures include Casablanca (Dh85, three to four hours, seven daily), some of which go via Rabat (Dh55, two hours, eight daily), as well as Fez (Dh25, one hour, 17 daily) and Marrakesh (Dh165, seven to eight hours, twice daily), Tangier (Dh90 to Dh100, five hours, four daily), Oujda (Dh130, 5½ to seven hours, three daily), Taza (Dh70 to Dh80, three hours, nine daily), Er-Rachidia (Dh110 to Dh120, six to seven hours, three daily) and Nador (Dh130, six hours, three daily).
Slightly cheaper than CTM, other buses depart from the Gare Routière ( GOOGLE MAP ), which is located just outside the medina's western Bab el-Khemis and has left-luggage and snack stands. However, these buses are not very reliable. Buses to Fez run hourly from 5am to 10pm and cost Dh15.
Tickets need to be purchased from the numbered windows:
ABus 1 Marrakesh (six daily, 5.30am to 6.30pm)
ABus 2 Midelt, Er-Rachidia, Ouarzazate and Rissani (one daily)
ABus 4 Rabat and Casablanca (hourly 5.30am to 4pm)
ABus 6 Tangier (seven daily), Tetouan via Chefchaouen (four daily)
ABus 7 Fez (hourly), Taza (one daily), Oujda (four daily) and Nador (six daily, indirect)
Note that the bus to Moulay Idriss is a red city bus (15), that departs from Bab el-Mansour (Dh7) rather than the bus station.
Taxi
The principal grand-taxi rank ( GOOGLE MAP ) is a dirt lot next to the Gare Routière just outside the medina's Bab el-Khemis. There are regular departures to Fez (Dh25, one hour), Ifrane (Dh30, one hour), Azrou (Dh30, one hour) and Midelt (Dh45, three hours).
Grands taxis for Moulay Idriss (Dh10, 20 minutes) leave from opposite the Institut Français – this is also the place to organise round trips to Volubilis, for which there is an official rate (half-day trip Dh400, one to five people). Though note that it's very cheap to hire a taxi for the trip to Volubilis once you arrive at the taxi rank in Moulay Idriss.
Taxis run to Fes-Saïss Airport from Meknès for a fixed rate of Dh400/500 (day/night), or to Casablanca Airport for Dh1400.
Train
Although Meknès has two train stations, head for the more convenient Al-Amir Abdelkader, east of the ville nouvelle. There are trains to Fez (Dh32, 45 minutes, hourly), Taza (Dh59, three to four hours, eight daily), some of which involve a change at Fez, and Oujda (Dh201, 6½ to seven hours, three daily). Trains also go to Casablanca (Dh143, three to 3½ hours, 19 daily) via Rabat (Dh95, two to three hours), and to Marrakesh (Dh280, seven hours, eight daily). For Tangier, there are four direct trains a day (Dh90, four to five hours) and two night trains that involve a change at Sidi Kacem.
8Getting Around
Bus
City buses ( GOOGLE MAP ) ply the route between the medina and ville nouvelle. The most useful are bus 2 (Bab el-Mansour to Blvd Allal ben Abdallah, returning to the medina along Ave Mohammed V) and bus 7 (Bab el-Mansour to the CTM bus station). Tickets are Dh2.50.
Taxi
Urban grands taxis (silver-coloured Mercedes Benz with black roofs) link the ville nouvelle and the medina, charging Dh2.50 per seat. Pale-blue petits taxis ( GOOGLE MAP ) cost Dh7 to Dh10 for the same journey. Both can be caught from Pl el-Hedim. In the medina, petits taxis also congregate where Rue Dar Smen intersects with Rue Rouamzine ( GOOGLE MAP ). In the ville nouvelle, you'll find them in a parking lot close to where Ave des Far intersects with Av Mohammed V ( GOOGLE MAP ).
From Al-Amir Abdelkader train station to the Bab el-Mansour will cost Dh10 to Dh15 on the meter, but watch out because the station is prime territory for opportunists. You may have to walk away from the station to find a driver willing to take you on the meter.
A more touristy way to get around the medina is by calèche ( GOOGLE MAP ; Pl el-Hedim), available for hire in front of Bab el-Mansour and just behind it, inside the Imperial City walls.
Volubilis (Oualili) وليلي
The Roman ruins of Volubilis sit in the middle of a fertile plain about 33km north of Meknès, and can easily be combined with nearby Moulay Idriss to make a fantastic day trip from Meknès. The city is the best-preserved archaeological site in Morocco and was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997. Its most amazing features are its many beautiful mosaics preserved in situ.
In the heat of a summer day, the sun can be incredibly fierce at Volubilis, so bring a hat and plenty of water. Spring is the ideal season, when wildflowers blossom amid the abandoned stones, and the surrounding fields are at their greenest. The best time to visit is either first thing in the morning or late afternoon; at dusk, when the last rays of the sun light the ancient columns, Volubilis is at its most magical.
History
Excavations indicate that the site was originally settled by Carthaginian traders in the 3rd century BC. One of the Roman Empire’s most remote outposts, Volubilis was annexed in about AD 40. According to some historians, Rome imposed strict controls on what could and could not be produced in its North African possessions, according to the needs of the empire. One result was massive deforestation and the large-scale planting of wheat around Volubilis. At its peak, it is estimated that the city housed up to 20,000 people. The site’s most impressive monuments were built in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, including the triumphal arch, capitol, baths and basilica.
As the neighbouring Berber tribes began to reassert themselves, so the Romans abandoned Volubilis around AD 280. Nevertheless, the city’s population of Berbers, Greeks, Jews and Syrians continued to speak Latin right up until the arrival of Islam. Moulay Idriss found sanctuary here in the 8th century, bef
ore moving his capital to Fez. Volubilis continued to be inhabited until the 18th century, when its marble was plundered for Moulay Ismail’s palaces in Meknès, and its buildings were finally felled by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.
Volubilis
1Sights
1BasilicaC2
2CapitolC2
3ForumC2
4Galen's Thermal BathsC3
5House of Dionysus & the Four SeasonsC1
6House of OrpheusC3
7House of the AcrobatB2
8House of the ColumnsB2
9House of the DogB2
10House of the EphebusB2
11House of the KnightC2
12House of the Labours of HerculesC2
13House of the Marble BacchusC1
14House of the NereidsC2
15House of the Nymphs BathingC1
16House of the Wild BeastsC1
17House of VenusC2
18North BathsC2
19Olive PressC2
20Restored Olive PressC3
21Temple of SaturnC2
22Triumphal ArchB2
23Visitor Centre & MuseumC3
1Sights
Official guides hang about at the site and conduct good one-hour tours for Dh200. Between them, the guides speak virtually every language under the sun. To get the most out of your tour, insist on getting one that speaks your language fluently.
Visitor Centre & MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h8.30am-sunset; p)
Volubilis' slick new Visitor Centre & Museum is just inside the main entrance gate to the site; however, at the time of visiting it wasn't yet open to the public. It will eventually display prized archaeological finds from Volubilis, with descriptions in French and Arabic. Some of the site's key artefacts are currently held by Rabat's archaeology museum and their return has been a point of dispute.
oRoman RuinsRUINS
(adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset)
Only about half of the 40-hectare site at Volubilis has been excavated. The better-known monuments are in the northern part of the site, furthest from the entrance in the south. Information boards are irregular, and other than that there’s little in the way of signposting to indicate what you’re actually seeing. It’s well worth considering hiring a guide, especially if you’re pressed for time. If you prefer to wander on your own, allow at least two hours to see the essentials.
Although parts of certain buildings are roped off, you are free to wander the site at will.
Ancient Volubilis
Although the least remarkable part of the site, the olive presses ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) here indicate the economic basis of ancient Volubilis, much as the plentiful olive groves in the surrounding area do today – look for the flat presses and stone storage vats dotted about the site. Wealthy homeowners had private olive presses.
Buildings
Next to the House of Orpheus are the remains of Galen's Thermal Baths ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset). Although largely broken, they clearly show the highly developed underfloor heating in this Roman hammam (look for the low arches). Opposite the steam room are the communal toilets – where citizens could go about their business and have a chat at the same time.
The Capitol ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), Basilica ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) and 1300-sq-metre Forum ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) are, typically, built on a high point. The Capitol, dedicated to the Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, dates back to AD 218; the Basilica and Forum lie immediately to its north. The reconstructed columns of the Basilica are usually topped with storks’ nests – an iconic Volubilis image if the birds are nesting at the time of your visit. Around the Forum is a series of plinths carved with Latin inscriptions that would have supported statues of the great and good. Keep your eyes out for the carved stone drain-hole cover – an understated example of Roman civil engineering.
The marble Triumphal Arch ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) was built in 217 in honour of Emperor Caracalla and his mother, Julia Domna. The arch, which was originally topped with a bronze chariot, was reconstructed in the 1930s, and the mistakes made then were rectified in the 1960s. The hillock to the east provides a splendid view over the entire site.
Houses with Mosaics
The House of Orpheus ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) is the finest and largest home, containing a mosaic of Orpheus charming animals by playing the lute, and a dolphin mosaic in the dining room. Note the private hammam has a caldarium (hot room) with visible steam pipes, a tepidarium (warm room) and a frigidarium (cold room), as well as a solarium.
On the left just before the triumphal arch are a couple more roped-off mosaics. One, in the House of the Acrobat ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), depicts an athlete being presented with a trophy for winning a desultory race, a competition in which the rider had to dismount and jump back on his horse as it raced along. To the west of here is the House of the Dog ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), famed not for its mosaics but a lonesome rock plinth with a giant phallus carved into the top of it – this establishment was once a brothel for weary warriors who would stop off here after making it back to the triumphal arch after battle.
From the arch, the ceremonial road, Decumanus Maximus, stretches up the slope to the northeast. The houses lining it on either side contain the best mosaics on the site. The first on the far side of the arch is known as the House of the Ephebus ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) and contains a now-incomplete mosaic of Bacchus in a chariot drawn by panthers.
Next along, the House of the Columns ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset) is so named because of the columns arranged in a circle around the interior court – note their differing styles, which include spirals. Adjacent to this is the House of the Knight ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), also called House of the Cavalier/Rider with its incomplete mosaic of Bacchus and Ariadne. The naked Ariadne has suffered somewhat from the attentions of admirers.
The next four houses are named for their excellent mosaics: the House of the Labours of Hercules ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), the House of Dionysus & the Four Seasons ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), the House of the Nymphs Bathing ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), though the nymph mosaics are heavily damaged, and the House of the Wild Beasts ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset). The first is almost a circular comic strip, recounting the Twelve Labours. Several of Hercules’ heroic feats were reputed to have occurred in Morocco, making him a popular figure at the time.
Some of the best mosaics are saved until last. Cross the Decumanus Maximus and head for the lone cypress tree, which marks the House of Venus ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; site admission adult/child Dh10/3; h8.30am-sunset), home of King Juba II. There are two particularly fine mosaics here, appropriately with semi-romantic themes. The first is the Abduction of Hylas by the Nymphs, an erotic composition showing Hercules’ lover Hylas being lured away from his duty by two beautiful nymphs. The second mosaic is Diana Bathing. The virgin goddess was glimpsed in her bath by the hunter Acteon, whom she turned into a stag as punishment. Acteon can be seen sprouting horns, about to be chased and devoured by his own pack of hounds – the fate of mythical peeping toms everywhere.
4Sleeping
WalilaGUESTHOUSE€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %06 52 09 63 73, 06 62 52 81 05; www.walila.com; Oualili; d incl breakfast Dh550; p)
Once the childhood home of a French minister, this 1920s farmstead is in a tranquil setting a five-minute walk from Volubilis. The original house offers three cosy
(if a little basic) rooms mixing Berber textiles with French antiques and open fires, and the affable owner Azzeddine used to be a chef in Holland – guests rave about his organic modern Moroccan dinners (Dh150 to Dh200).
Azzeddine goes out of his way to make the place feel like a home away from home: you can get your hands dirty helping out, ride mules into the hills or simply lay back in the garden hammock and wait to be fed. At the time of writing an old stone barn was in the process of being converted into further accommodation, and you can book in for lunch here if you're in the area visiting Volubilis but don't fancy staying. This place is all about 'back to nature', which means no wi-fi.
Volubilis InnHOTEL€€€
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 54 44 05; hotelvolubilisinn@gmail.com; Rte de Meknès; s/d incl breakfast from Dh540/640; pas)
The best feature of this large four-star hotel on a rise above Volubilis is its expansive views over the Roman ruins and surrounding countryside. All rooms have a TV and a fridge, and benefit from the views – as do the terraces, pool and international restaurant (mains from Dh90). There's also a bar with an open fire. Overall, it lacks atmosphere.
8Getting There & Away
The simplest and quickest way to get to Volubilis is to hire a grand taxi for the return trip. A half-day outing from Meknès should cost Dh350, with a couple of hours at the site and a stop at Moulay Idriss (worth an overnight stay in itself). The same trip from Fez (about twice the distance) can cost anywhere from Dh250 to Dh500, but be warned it's a less popular outing from Fez so the availability of drivers and proposed costs can be erratic.
A cheaper alternative is to take a shared grand taxi from Meknès to Moulay Idriss (Dh10) and then hire a grand taxi to take you to Volubilis (Dh30 complete hire, one way). Note that shared grand taxis to Moulay Idriss only run from near Meknès's Institut Français – at other grand-taxi ranks across town you'll be told the only option is to hire an entire grand taxi privately, at a cost of Dh90 (not true!).