Place Lalla Aouda

Meknes


South of Bab El Mansour lies this public garden and car park that's a popular place with local families in the evening – less raucous than Place El Hedim, and with more places to sit. In the past it was the parade ground where Moulay Ismail once inspected his famed Black Guard, which started with some 16,000 enslaved men from sub-Saharan Africa. By the time of his death, the guard had expanded tenfold and had chased out both European and Ottoman troops.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Meknes attractions

1. Musée de Meknès

0.05 MILES

Housed in the peeling old tribunal building in the imperial city walls, this small museum is long overdue for a refresh, but while the larger Dar Jamaï…

2. Bab El Mansour

0.08 MILES

The focus of Place El Hedim is this huge gate, perhaps the grandest of all imperial Moroccan gateways. The gate is well preserved, if a bit dulled by soot…

3. Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

0.13 MILES

Closed since 2016 for a massive renovation, the final resting place of the sultan who made Meknes his capital in the 17th century is ordinarily a must-see…

4. Place El Hedim

0.15 MILES

Cleared by Moulay Ismail so his populace could better admire Bab El Mansour, this square is the social heart of the medina, and it really livens up at…

5. Koubbat As Sufara

0.15 MILES

Moulay Ismail's reception hall for foreign ambassadors is a lovely show of zellige (patterned tile) work. It's here that Unesco officially inscribed…

6. Dar Jamaï Museum

0.2 MILES

On the north side of Place El Hedim, this museum was under renovation at last visit, with a possible reopening in 2020. Built in 1882 by the powerful…

7. Medersa Bou Inania

0.21 MILES

Opposite the Grande Mosquée, this religious school, completed in 1358, is typical of the exquisite Merinid interior design. Although it is not as lavish…

8. Lahboul Gardens

0.29 MILES

These gardens just outside the medina were being renovated on the last visit. When finished, they should be a tranquil place to stroll after a busy…