Morocco's Versailles - Meknes

It was a coincidence that Sultan Moulay Ismail and King Louis XIV of France built a city in the wilderness at the same time. The former was located on a wooded hill about 70 km west of Fes, now known as Meknes, and the latter was the famous Palace of Versailles. From 1680 to 1693, the two dynasties maintained friendly relations. Later, the relationship between the two countries broke down when France refused to return the Moorish prisoners. Moulay Ismail's 54-year reign and extraordinary achievements made him a legendary figure. Early in his reign, he was very fond of Meknes and dreamed of building a city there that would be more magnificent than Fes and Marrakech. Meknes, as described by the Sultan's chronicler, was like this: "…20 strong gates were built on the city walls, with platforms for cannons on top. Inside the city, he built a huge artificial lake where people could row boats. There was a granary in the city, with huge underground reservoirs, and a stable three miles long for the Sultan to house his horses and mules, which could accommodate 12,000 horses. The ground under the arches was used to store grain for feeding the horses… He also built the Palace of Mansour, which had 20 domes, each of which overlooked the plains and mountains surrounding Meknes. Around the stables were all kinds of rare trees, and there were 50 palaces within the city walls, each with its own mosque and bathhouse…." Unfortunately, today's visitors to Meknes can hardly feel the splendor of the past!