Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), before it was relocated to Rabat. Among the most impressive elements of the imperial city was the grand gate named after the architect, El-Mansour, a Christian renegade who converted to Islam. It was completed 5 years after Moulay Ismail's death, in 1732. The design of the gate plays with Almohad patterns. It has zellij mosaics of excellent quality. The marble columns were taken from the Roman ruins of Volubilis. The story tells that when completed, Moulay Ismail inspected the gate, asking El-Mansur if he could do better. El-Mansur felt complied to answer yes, making the sultan so furious he had him executed. Its medina its much smaller than the Fes one, but its well preserved and a nice place to bargain for carpets.
You can easily get there by train, taxi or bus. Train is best and takes about one hour.


Volubilis features the best preserved ruins in this part of northern Africa. In 1997 the site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In antiquity, Volubilis was an important Roman town situated near the westernmost border of Roman conquests. The site contains the Mansion containing the mosaic of the Labours of Hercules, the Baths of Gallienus and Baths of Forum with their fragmentary mosaics, the House of Orpheus and its Dolphin mosaic and Orpheus Myth and many more amazing sights. Unfortunately is difficult to get there by public transportation, so its best to rent a car or arrange a private taxi.



Ifrane is a modern european looking and green little town with a very famous english speaking university, it is a good base to explore the area and in cold winter you can even do some ski in near Michliffen. The area is a very popular week-end destination for moroccans and therefore it is very busy on saturdays, sundays and holidays.


The cedar tree forest is unique. Today, unfortunately, it is only seen as a destination for a short excursion with chances to feed monkeys. Don't do it, and don't try to buy one, customs in the airports ain't what used to be.
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Our spies have discovered that our favourite lounge in the medina, Fez Lounge, has changed his menu, and now they propose a delicious chicken taboulé inspired in Lebanon, Feta goat salad, or the original Pastilla filled with fish. And with now a menu for two called 'Moroccan Feast' at 150 dh each (15 euros) you really dont have any excuse not to go!
http://www.fezlounge.com/ in 95, Zkak Rouah Tala Kbira FEZ MEDINA
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Hammām is from the Arabic root "ḥmm" with a general meaning of "heat". The word ḥammām simply means "bathroom" or "toilet" in many dialects of vernacular Arabic, while it means hot springs or spa town in other dialects.
A typical hamam consists of three interconnected basic rooms similar to its Roman ancestors: the 'sıcaklık' (or hararet -caldarium) which is the hot room, the warm room (tepidarium) which is the intermediate room and the 'soğukluk' which is the cool room, but that may vary from one hamam to another, and depending on the country.
Getting to know -and love- Fez can be a tiresome process that involves walking slopes up & down during hours, rub shoulders with pitiless donkeys and bargaining goods you dont really want during large amounts of time. You will need some pampering. Threat yourself to a traditional hamam in the medina and experience a real 'gommage' (scrubbing of your whole body), or head to ville nouvelle for a luxurious spa. Here is our selection:


Ain Azliten Hamam

Arguably the cleanest of them all in the medina, yet not the arab dream you may dream of. Different times for men and women, this is not Sweden. It costs around 40 dh (4 euros), and its opposite the parking car.
(dont dream, the photo is not from this hamam)



Hammam de Guerniz

A hidden gem, no tourists ever go to this very old hammam in one of the oldest neighbourhoods of the city. The street is called Derb el Hamam, just ask direcctions. 10 dh the entrace, black soap 1 dh, but note that as a tourist you may be charged double. women 10h to 20h, men 21h to 24h.


Seffarine Hammam

This hammam has been chosen to be completely renovated with italian funds, but is not yet finished. Once the lifting is done it will probably be the amongst the prefered. Similar prices.
Off the square Seffarine.


Nausikaa

Located in the skirts of the Ville Nouvelle, its worht a visit if you are a luxury spa lover. They have gym, pool, hairdresser, sauna and tradicional hammam. At 100 dh the 'gommage' is not overpriced and will leave you feeling incredibly healthy. Avenue BahniniRoute Aïn SmenFès + 212 (0) 35 61 00 06 http://www.nausikaa-spa.com/


Yuba spa

specialist in thai massage, but they also offer traditional hammam that can be enjoyed alone or in couple. Reasonable prices yet not cheap. www.yuba-cyn-spa.com/contact.htm
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One of the highlights of your stay in Fez will be for sure the infamous Fez Tanneries. If Morocco is famous for its leather goods, it owes its reputation to the young men who work in tanneries like this one, using the same methods today that were used centuries before. The secret ingredients for a perfect dying are quite evident once you smell a peculiar perfume in the air. While most of the bazaars will provide you with some mint to avoid the smell, Gatsby always prefers its own handkerchief with some drops of Serge Lutens 'cedre'.

There are many tanneries in Fez, but the most famous are the ones located near the Karaouine mosque, the chouara tanneurs. They are really impressing and make a very good photo, so good in fact that Gatsby once used it as a setting for a catalogue of a well known spanish fashion brand.

From above the view of the men stamping the skins in the circles of color, or spreading out the vivid, yellow saffron dye, is fascinating. A walk at ground level will be something quite different altogether as you come face to face with knife wielding workers softening the leather and get a whole new perspective on hard work.

Visitors can climb to any one of the terraces belonging to the surrounding leather shops that look down on the tanners' yard, honeycombed with vats of dye and piled with skins.

Afterwards you can visit any number of leather shops and see for yourself the product of such hard work, and you'll be smoothly invited to buy, and maybe you should, because the quality of the products is often excellent and a real bargain.
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Pastilla
Is an elaborate meat pie traditionally made of pigeons, but chicken is more often used today; pastilla can also use fish as a filling and its truly delicious, in that case is served without sugar on top. It is typical of Morocco and highly regarded as a national dish; variants are also found elsewhere in the Maghreb.
It is a pie which combines sweet and salty flavours; a delicious combination of crisp layers of the crêpe-like warka dough, savory meat slow-cooked in broth and spices and shredded, and a crunchy layer of toasted and ground almonds, cinnamon, and sugar. Pastilla requires lots of time and ingredients, so is amongst the most expensive dishes you ll find, prepare to pay from 70 dh to 150dh depending on the restaurant.

Couscous
Does anyone ignore what is it?Couscous is as old as pasta. In fact, many historians argue that couscous pre-dates pasta, with references to couscous dating back as far as the 10th century. Scholars debate whether couscous originated in West Africa or North Africa (Berber), but today, couscous is considered a Moroccan specialty. But really the only thing you have to care of is whether you order it made of chicken, lamb or vegetables.

Tagines
Is a type of dish found in the North African cuisines of Morocco, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. Tajines are slow-cooked stew braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. They often combine lamb or chicken with a medley of ingredients or seasonings: olives, quinces, apples, raisins, prunes, datess.
You will find them in every single menu: chicken tagine, beef tagine, and most rare in restaurants lamb tagine and fish tagine and our beloved and strongly recommended kefta tagine (meatballs in a sauvory tomato sauce, topped with an egg).



Harira
Harira is the traditional soup of Morocco. It is usually eaten during dinner in the holy month of Ramadan to break the fasting day. But is truly a meal in itself, and they keep eating it all the time. It is also served to relatives and friends after a special celebration, such as the morning after a wedding night, and its recipe varies then slightly from the harira eaten during Ramadan. It is usually served with dates and other favorite dried fruits like figs or with traditional honey sweets.

Briouates
Another favorite, this time a snack or a light tapas-dish. A briouate consists of a triangle or half-moon of flaky filled pastry, but the most elegant look like sringrolls, deep-fried in oil until golden crisp. Moroccan briouates found in the street are made of almond paste, but we really prefer the salty ones, filled with fish specially, but really they can be filled with anything: cheese, spinach, etc. Other favorite fillings are chopped meat or merguez, highly spiced lamb sausages.


Lamb M'choui
This most famous and interesting Moroccan lamb dish traditionally involves rubbing a whole lamb with a paste of butter, peppers and cumin and pit roasting it until crisp and golden, but tender within. It is served at the center of the table so that each guest can tear pieces from the bone with pieces of Moroccan crisp-textured bread. M’choui is served with bowls of ground cumin, coarse salt and red pepper so that everyone can season it to their own liking. You will hardly find it in restaurants, or they may ask you to book ahead, because it takes long time, but if you do, just go for it.
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With the giant horseshoe of the Atlas mountain range walling off the desert expanses of the interior, Morocco (unlike its neighbours Algeria and Tunisia) turns its back on the east Atlantic. Along the coast, winters are cold and summer evenings surprisingly brisk, creating cool microclimates Morocco's viticultural history stretches back before Phoenician and Roman times to the country's Berber origins. Much later, in the 9th century, the country's first Arab dynasty is said to have given the Berber tribes around Meknes a dispensation to make wine. Then, despite Koranic strictures on consumption, grapes continued to be grown and wine drunk in the Arab era. It was the Arabs, after all, who introduced distillation methods to Europe, bequeathed us the word 'al-kohl' and left an Andalucian poetic legacy extolling the virtues of wine.

Medaillon rouge
Produced with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Syrah, Medaillon is well known for its full body and it ages gracefully into a velvety wine of pure elegance.

El Mogador rouge produced with Muscat Noir, Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre. Its a powerful wine with plenty of spices and well structured. Its one of our favourites.

Domaine de Sahari rouge
A 1200-hectare estate, 600 hectares planted with vines, at the foot of the High Atlas mountains (Meknès Province) in the town of Ait Yazem, located on the fertile plains of the Saïs, in Morocco. Harvested by hand and processed in the traditional manner, this wine has a unique character.
Grenache (20%) - Cinsault (20%) - Carignan (50%) Alicante (10%).
Les Celliers de Meknès estate cover nearly 2000 hectares of vineyards divided among four of Morocco's most prestigious designations : AOG Guerrouane, AOG Beni M'tir, AOG Berkane and the country's only AOC, Les Coteaux de l'Atlas whose best parcels have been graded as "1st Cru".The Zniber family, vine growers for more than half a century, are pioneers of modern wines in Morocco.The climate of the Middle Atlas in the foothills on which their estates are situated, the elevation ranging from 580 to 700 meters, the moderate rainfall and generous sunshine all provide the vineyards with an exceptional site unrivaled in Morocco.

Beni M'Tir Rouge
The Appellation Beni M'tir is a region of northern Morocco, located south to the imperial city of Meknes at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. This area has been known for producing fine wines for more than 2000 years at the times of the Romain Empire. The Amazi'gh vineyards are at an altitude of 700 meters and benefit from a dry-sunny climate and time-rich clay soils giving powerful, full-bodied, expressive wines.Carignan, Cinsault & Alicante create this exotically fruited wine.

Guerrouane Rouge
Produced from Carignan, Cinsault (Rhone varietals), Alicante (southern Italy) and Grnache.Full-bodied, yet soft, with ripe tannins and loads of fruit.
Guerrouane Gris
100% cinsault.Fresh, lively, pairs well with salads, roasted fish and spicy dishes.
Ksar blanc
This wine is characterized by a nose of ripe fruits. The complex and rich mouth is supported by an acidulous final that offers him balance and freshness.
Vin de Cepage Sauvignon Blanc
This “Sauvignon Blanc” is characterized by a yellow dress with green reflects. Peach and citrus fruit aromas precede a fresh palate supported by a well balanced acidity.
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