Meknes

Five hours on the bus took us to Meknes. The journey was quite pleasant, although the conversation of my neighbours stretched the limit of my French and at times my patience as I longed to get back to my audiobook and the lovely views on offer. Still I am amazed at how much French I have managed to dredge up from the depths of my memory – a good thing, considering the hopelessness of my attempts to learn Arabic.

In Meknes, the city walls and many buildings are a warm pinky brown. We visited the granaries and stables of Moulay Ismail, built in the seventeenth century for the stabling of 12,000 horses. Not surprisingly, the complex was massive. In the granaries the air was cold. The walls, even those separating different chambers, were four metres thick. It had been built with underfloor water channels for cooling and apparently some bamboo in the roof as primitive air-conditioning. There was little to see inside, but the sense of space was incredible.

From here we walked beside the city walls, past the palace to Bab el-Mansour, a huge and ornate gate in the walls. Revived by yet more freshly-squeezed orange juice at a cafe in the square, we set off for the ruined Roman city of Volubilis. Along the way we passed through many olive groves where small flocks of sheep grazed on lean pickings, watched over by old men or young boys. The earth is dull and deeply dry and you can smell the dry reddish soil in the air. The sun is fierce, the dry air leaves you feeling parched and the taste of dust hangs in the back of your throat.

The site was enormous and has been only partially restored so it is possible to wander the streets and lanes exploring and conjecturing. There were bakeries, temples, baths and olive presses along with the grander edifices of the forum, colossus and triumphal arch. Best of all were the many mosaics still lying it situ, simply roped off. It was easy to see the details of images of Hercules and his labours along with many geometric designs, fish, birds and other human or mythical figures. Sitting still for a few moments, it was good to imagine the city a couple of thousand years ago, to try to visualise the bustle in the narrow side streets, the calm of the private courtyards within houses where people would have rested by their pools or fountains.