Description of the attraction
The mausoleum of Moulay Ismail is one of the main attractions of Meknes. The city is located on the El Hadjeb plateau, 60 km from Fez. Until the end of the XVII century. Meknes was the royal residence. Later, the Great Sultan Moulay Ismail made it the main and most majestic city of his vast empire. But, unfortunately, the construction of the city was never completed.
The place where the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail is located was part of the former Palace of Justice, erected in 1700. The mausoleum was erected in the 17th century. The courtyard of the mausoleum is decorated with beautiful fountains, engraved marble, mosaics, and the floor is covered with luxurious Meknesian carpets. The mausoleum is very rich and luxurious, however, like all the palaces of the Sultan, in which he lived.
The best artisans were involved in the construction of the Moulay Ismail mausoleum. As a result, the greatest sultan received a light and graceful tomb. The entrance to the mausoleum is decorated with rich decor, the interior of the building is decorated with carved cedar ceilings and arched corridors with marble columns brought from Volubilis, in the back of the hall you can see the genealogical tree of the Alawite family. The mausoleum was rebuilt in the XVIII century. and XX Art.
The mausoleum consists of three halls with twelve columns and a central sanctuary with the sultan's tomb. In the tomb of Moulay Ismail, decorated with rich stucco and mosaics, the remains of his wife, son of Moulay Ahmed al-Dhabi, as well as Sultan Moulay Abderrahman, are buried. In its appearance, the tomb is very similar to the necropolis of the Saadid clan in Marrakesh. The tomb room displays the best works of Moroccan masters. This room has a luxurious interior and goes well with austere courtyards.
The tomb of Moulay Ismail with its mosque is one of the few Islamic shrines in Morocco that non-Muslims can visit.
