The train ride from Rabat to Meknes took about an hour and a half. It was more scenic than our first train ride. We sometimes even passed by vineyards.
Our riad was inside the Medina, which, at times, can present a challenge since the Medinas only have a few entrances. Fortunately, the Riad Bahia was on the outskirts of it, so it wasn’t too difficult to walk to and find.
For us, the main reason to stay in Meknes was to visit Volubilis. This ancient site was the capital of Mauritania, an ancient civilization dating back 3rd century B.C.!!! Later on, Volubilis was also part of the Roman Empire and others after the Roman era.
Besides the beautiful arches at the entrance of the site, Volubilis has a number of remarkable mosaics. Many of these were installed in grand homes of wealthy, well connected, individuals.
In one of the photos below, I sit in what used to be a “spa”. Warm water was fed into the spa via ducts. Life was good if you were part of the elite.
Above, Diane and I relax on the terrace of our riad.
We had read lots of negative comments about getting to the tanneries in Fes. We mostly heard of fake guides getting you to go see a particular shop or showing you something and then wanting money in return. We didn’t experience much of that at all - and none of it was overwhelming.
Watching the tannery from one of the observation decks was fascinating. We visited one of the three tanneries in the area known as Chouara. Built in the 11th century, the methods they used to process the leather today is still pretty much the same from centuries ago. They use pigeon poop and cow urine to soften the hides. To hide the odiferous smells, one gets sprigs of mint to push up your nose. We didn’t use them, wanting to get the full impact of it all. :-)
One last comment, if anyone is to stay in Meknes, we highly recommend the Riad Bahia. It’s a lovely building with a big family who run the riad smoothly. Very nice people.
From Meknes, we took yet another train ride (this time a real short ride of about an hour) to Fes.
That’s Part III.
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