October 30th, 2012
souk in Fes
October 30th, 2012
Catching up
the perils of being on the road… am way behind so on to Fes and finishing up Morocco, then a taste of Hawaii and on to Israel. Have I posted New Orleans?? Okay. Here we go…
September 17th, 2012
When the structure was completed, Moulay Ismail inspected the gate, asking El-Mansur if he could do better. El-Mansur felt complied to answer yes, making the sultan so furious he had him executed. Still, according to historical records, the gate was finished after Moulay Ismail’s death.
September 17th, 2012
September 17th, 2012
September 17th, 2012
30,000 slaves built the granaries and stables. Hard to capture how huge and amazing they are
September 17th, 2012
September 17th, 2012
Meknes
One of the four imperial cities, Meknes was our next stop. We had a wonderful female guide, which gave us a different perspective. All our guides were excellent and gave us a real appreciation for history.
Meknes was the capital under Moulay Ismaïl Ibn Sharif, a sultan noted for his cruelty, who ruled from 1672 to 1727. His walls were adorned with 10,000 head of his enemies, his some 30,000 slaves worked 18 hour days, 7 days a week to build his granaries, stables, palaces, etc. He is said to have fathered and estimated 800-1,042 children with 500 wives and concubines. Voltaire based his sultan character in Candide on him.
September 17th, 2012
September 17th, 2012
