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The Place El-Hedime, located exactly between the old town and the Imperial part of the city, houses the covered market and becomes busy at dusk: fire-swallowers, jugglers ….

Originally known as “Meknassa al-Zitoun” (“Meknes of the olives”), Meknes was founded in the 10th Century by members of the Berber “Meknassa” tribe, but became famous when it was chosen by the Emperor Moulay Ismail to be his Imperial capital in 1672. Compared to his contemporary, Louis XIV of France, due to his reputation as a warrior king and his love of grandeur in general, he made it his life’s mission to transform Meknes into the “Versailles of Morocco”. Dominating the southern end of El-Hedim square the monumental gateway of Bab Mansour, the crowning jewel of Moulay Ismail’s architectural legacy, commissioned by him but finished in 1732 during his son’s reign. Intricately decorated with richly coloured tiles and flanked by two bastions supported in part by columns plundered from Volubilis, it marks the entrance to the vast precincts of the imperial court

Decorative gate Bab er-Reth (The door of the wind) gate to Moulay Ismail Mausoleum

The Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. Moulay Ismaïl Ibn Sharif, also known as the “Warrior King”, was the ruler of Moroccan Alaouite dynasty

The Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail in Meknes is the final resting place of one of Morocco's most notorious sultans

Meknes shops in front of mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

Souvenir ridge magnets

The Place El-Hedime

Bab er-Reth (The door of the wind) gate to Moulay Ismail Mausoleum

Following the death of Moulay

Ismail, his city fell into ruin, but the

20th century brought

restoration and rejuvenation

All species of Lantana are suspected of having great toxic potential

Lantana are suspected of having great toxic potential

Designed by Sultan Moulay

Ismail, the Lahdim square

served as a space to celebrate parties, organize

demonstrations of all kind,

mainly military. The square was

also used for religious,

cultural, and political

gatherings, and in normal days was used as a

large souk

The Place El-HedimeMorocco has made significant strides in education over the past decades. The Government allocates about 26% of its annual budget for education.

At the entrance to the medina is Place el Hedim, a popular meeting place, with fancy street lamps, food stalls, fountains and a mock-Andalusian arcade housing shops and cafés

Place Hedim, the main square in

the old part of the city. Lahdim

square is also famous by Bab Mansour, the largest gate in

Africa that connects the

square with other parts of the old

medina

Bab Mansour Gate

The architect was a Christian

convert to Islam named Mansour Laalej (whose

name translates to “victorious

renegade”) who sought to ascend

in the sultan’s court. His name also contributed to the name of

the gate (mansour means

“victorious” in Arabic)The wooden gateway is16m tall and 8m wide

The wooden gateway is not in use anymore but visitors can use a smaller side door to enter the medina

Sound: Cheb Khaled 2016

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu Internet slide2,3Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela