MOROCCO IMPERIAL CITIES

You walk out of the kasbah area, where you will explore the little streets with lots of small shops selling aromatic spices, leather, silver, rugs, and wood carvings. Other fascinating sights include the Bab Chellah, viewed by many to be the most attractive city ramparts in Morocco, the Parc du Triangle, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the incomplete Hassan Minaret Tower. After a half-day city tour in Rabat, it is time to leave for Meknes, one of the five famous Imperial Cities Of the Moroccan Kingdom, recognized as a UNESCO Heritage Site. Start your tour at Hri Souani, famous state-owned horse stables of Haras where the Arabo-Berber horses were bred. It was built in the era of Moulay Ismail by his soldiers and located next to a pond which used for the underground channels that carried water from the Middle Atlas Mountains. Then, you stop for a few minutes in front of the Royal Palace, where you can make some photoshoots of the Seven Bronze gates before getting through the alleys of the Mellah with its exceptional atmosphere and fine Mauro-Hispanic architecture. Your Meknes tour comes to an end when you drive to Borj Sud to take the panoramic view of the Medina. Continue your trip to the Roman archaeological site of Volubilis, discover the ancient olive presses, mansions, incredible mosaics, monumental arches, and Corinthian columns. A real sense of Roman lifestyle in a medieval Berber town. Leaving Volubilis and drive east to the medieval city.

Meet your guide for a full day city tour in the Medieval city of Fes. This tour is a voyage in the past, where the Jewish and Ismalic heritage are influencing our present identity. Your day will start with a drive via Dar el Makhzen and the Royal Palace with its great seven bronze gates. Then you will stop at Borj Sud for a picturesque view of the medina. Accompanied by your guide, you will explore the maze of this medieval city and the story behind nominating it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk inside the dyers’ streets in the es-Sebbaghine area, followed by the brass and copperware artisans at es-Seffarine avenues. Get through the twisting alleys to the el-Quarawiyyin Mosque and University, a walk into the past to the Mosque near fragrant Souk of el-Atterine of spices and herbs; el-Atterine Medersa. Of course, not to miss the famous Tanneries on the bank of the Oued Fes. Next to the charming el-Nejjarine Square with its Plaza, fountain, and wood artisans. Finish your walking day at the Bouanania and Attarine Madrassas. Back into your vehicle at Bab Boujloud to end your tour around the stunning ramparts of the Saadian watchtower at the North Borj. Rich history, variety, and many memories to be photographed.

Depart Fez for Marrakech via Beni Mellah. A small town encircled by cedar forests, wooded gorges populated by monkeys, surrounded by waterfalls, springs, and caves to keep the woods well watered. In the past, it was the house of the Berber and Jewish influence in the Atlas area. Beni Mellal was built by Moulay Idriss in 1680, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. It has a history of being named Kasbah Belkouche. After Lunch, you make your way to Kasba Tadla. The focal spot of a fortification town. Then you go down to the Red city.

Set on a plain below the Atlas Mountains, Marrakech is the capital of the south. Its character is as much African as Arab, reflecting its former role as a caravan station on trans-Saharan trade routes. Who knew that the Giralda of Seville has a twin sister minaret in Marrakech? It’s the Koutoubia, one of the largest, most beautiful mosques in the western Muslim world. Standing 225 feet high, it’s a Hispano-Moresque masterpiece that’s located in the heart of Marrakech. Other famous sites include four stops. The first site is the Saadian Tombs. It dates in the 15th century back to the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur. Then, stroll in the 19th-century Bahia Palace and its gardens. Designed to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan styles. Finally you walk through the small medieval streets of Marrakech Medina until you reach the main city square of Djemaa el-Fna. Full of entertainers, singers, storytellers, snake-charmers, and acrobats. Marrakech is a cultural melting pot with surprises around every corner that indicate how the history of the city has shaped the way it is today.

Abandoned by the Portuguese in 1541, it was not until 1765 that The Mogador was transformed into a walled city. The fortifications were never that practical in keeping out the thieving tribesmen, but now It holds a charming artists’ town with its old harbor and cannons viewing the fishing fleet. Wander through the small alleyways which form the medina. Observe artisans at their workshops handling the piece of wood as their baby and transforming it to wooden tables, cases, and various items in lemon or briarwood decorated with mother of pearl.

Start your day by moving on the coastline up to Safi. The town was a gate for the trans-Saharan commerce between Marrakech and Guinea. During the 14th century, it had become a religious and cultural center when the Merenids built a ribat there. Safi is famed for its potteries that produce the typical brightly colored Safi pottery. Continue up to El Jadida, built as a fortified Portuguese site on the coast in the early 16th century to be reclaimed in 1796 by Morocco. The fortification with its protected walls is an illustration of Renaissance military design. All the surviving Portuguese structures as the Portuguese cistern and the Church of the Assumption, built in the Manueline style of late Gothic architecture. Finish your day in the Commercial city of Casablanca for farewell dinner and overnight.

You will have the day at leisure today until your private transfer from your accommodation in Casablanca airport.