Moulay Idriss, Volubilis, Meknes and Hassan II

Showcasing the attractions of the Moulay Idriss-Volubilis area.
We should have noted the top left!

Our friend, let's call him Hercule, was kind enough to bring our cat from Douala to Casablanca, when our schools had coinciding breaks in October 2018. There wasn't a seamless overlap, so we decided to make a short trip to Moulay Idriss, a hill town about three hours from Casa.

Moulay Idriss has long been a site of Islamic pilgrimages, and in Morocco five visits to Moulay Idriss are considered to equal one Hajj. Given its sacred status, non-Muslim tourists were barred from staying overnight in the city until 2004. In the short time that has elapsed, many locals have taken on an entrepreneurial spirit and offer to squire visitors around the old medina and towards a number of lookout points from which one may admire the town. One such industrious gentleman convinced our friend to come over for snails and later bought our son some birthday cake with his hard-earned capital.

Arch of Caracalla, constructed in 217 AD in honor of the Roman emperor.

Remains of the basilica.

A few kilometers away from Moulay Idriss is Volubilis / Walili, site of an old Berber then Roman settlement. Founded around 3,000 BC, Volubilis later served as a far-flung outpost of the Roman empire from the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries AD. In the 8^th Century AD the settlement revived, this time under the auspices of conversion to Islam led by Idris I, but the town gradually declined as people moved to his namesake settlement, Moulay Idriss.

The trials of Hercules.

While the mosaics are a bit worn and not particularly well-protected, the expanse of the old settlement was impressive and our guide led us around the grounds pointing out the various living quarters, baths, olive presses (58 have been excavated at the site), aqueduct, gates, etc. There were a few other independent travelers, but also several large tour buses that seemed to be stopping in en route to Fes. Unfortunately, it was only after we left M-I and Volubilis that we learned that there's also a vineyard in the area. Next time!

Moulay Idriss at dusk.

View of the Medersa Idris I mosque.

View from the Kasbah of the market below.

We then spent a morning in Meknes getting new rear tires and checking out the Bab Mansour gate (incorporating columns from the Volubilis ruins) and enjoying some bissara soup (made from fava beans, with copious amounts of olive oil and cumin).

Bab Mansour gate, Meknes.

Meknes's medina.

Hercule explored Fes and we returned to work. Once reunited, we went to the Hassan II mosque, an obligatory stop for those stopping over in Casablanca (not otherwise noted for touristy sights). We happened to have the same tour guide as when we visited in August, and again she efficiently led us through the vast main prayer hall and the ablution areas below. Set right on the ocean, the view is sadly obscured by all the saltwater from waves breaking near the windows of the prayer hall.

The main prayer hall of the Hassan II mosque.

Hassan II is the second largest mosque in the world, with most of the building materials sourced in Morocco (the exception being the glass chandeliers, which come from Murano, Italy. Our guide's  line: "To clean them is problem. You can imagine"). It has the highest minaret in the world, armed with a laser beam that points towards Mecca.

Hassan II mosque.

We then headed towards El Hank to check out the lighthouse. This area was in a state of disrepair, and we speculated that this might be due to anticipated development/eminent domain discouraging the current occupants from investing much in their property. El Hank afforded a nice view of the mosque in the distance, although we didn't detect any restaurants or other establishments, and didn't feel like going down to the Corniche/Morocco Mall area.

View of the Hassan II mosque from El Hank.

The lighthouse of El Hank.