Tourist First: Morocco: Meknes and Volubilis

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Morocco: Meknes and Volubilis

A highly decorated door at Riad El Ma in Meknes.

Meknes is a city I'd never heard of until we got interested in visiting Morocco. Meknes is largely the creation of Sultan Moulay Ismail, a brutal (but supposedly beloved) tyrant. He reigned for 55 years, until his death in 1727, and for some reason chose the provincial trading town of Meknes as his capital. He took marble and other stone from the nearby Roman ruins at Volubilis to build his city, which at its height had more than 50 palaces and 45 kilometers of exterior walls with 20 gates, one of which, the magnificent Bab Mansour, remains adorned with Roman columns brought intact from Volubilis.
After his death, his buildings and walls remained, but the government, power, prestige and cachet moved on. What remains today are busy souks in a living and vibrant medina, the tomb of Moulay Ismail (the only shrine in the country that non-Muslims can visit), and a large student population that enlivens the French-flavored Ville Nouvelle, the more modern area outside the medina.
We stayed two nights at Riad El Ma, a low-key but very comfortable inn in the medina. Even after a seven-hour drive, we arrived early enough on Wednesday, March 22, to explore the medina before a family-style dinner at El Ma. The other guests, a French father and son and a French-Belgian couple who were in Meknes completing the adoption of their year-old son from an orphanage, made for a pleasant evening of conversation over traditional Moroccan tajines.
A good portion of our one full day in Meknes was spent visiting Volubilis, the ruins of one of Imperial Rome's most remote African outposts, complete with triumphal arch, temple, forum and private homes. Some of the mosaics rival those of Pompeii. We also briefly visited Moulay Idriss. The town is named for its founder -- who also founded the first Arab dynasty and is considered an important saint. His mausoleum is the focus of the town, and non-Muslims are not allowed to visit. Indeed, there's little in this town to attract western tourists other than the view of it you get from four kilometers across a valley in Volubilis. Its white buildings crowning a steep green hill make it look like the pilgrimage site that it is.
Here are some photos:

A narrow gate keeps cars out of the Medina in Meknes. This street connected
the medina with the Ville Nouvelle.

Our room at Riad El Ma is called the White Suite.

A water course runs from the reception area and dining room
at Riad El Ma to the fountain in the open-air courtyard.

View from our room into the courtyard at Riad El Ma.

The forum at Volubilis as it is approached from the entrance to the site,
which has a modern museum explaining Roman provincial culture. Roman rule
here lasted from around 40 A.D. (the reign of Claudius) to 285 A.D. (the reign
of Diocletian) when the garrison was withdrawn.

Corinthian columns of the basilica or courthouse.

This is one of a series of mosaics depicting the labors of Hercules. I'm not sure, but
I think this is meant to be his capture of the Ceryneian Hind, the deer that could
outrun an arrow.

The triumphal arch was built in 217 A.D. to honor
Emperor Caracalla.

The town of Moulay Idriss as photographed from Volubilis.

The main square in Moulay Idriss. The larger arch
to the left leads to the mausoleum of Moulay Idriss,
a saint and an important figure in Arab as well as
Moroccan history. His tomb, off limits to non-Muslims,
draws many visitors to the town.

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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.