Merenid Tombs and Borj Nord Hillside Walk

The Merenid Tombs and Borj Nord hillside walk is a short, accessible outing on the northern slope above Fes el-Bali in the Fès-Meknès region of Morocco. The trailhead is the Merenid Tombs viewpoint on the Route des Mérinides, reached by petit taxi from Bab Bou Jeloud in roughly 10 to 15 minutes for about 15 to 25 MAD. Roadside parking is informal, and no permit is required. The route is a loop of about 2 km with a climb of roughly 100 m, which places it firmly in the easy category and makes it suitable for first-time walkers and families with older children. The surface alternates between paved road shoulder, packed earth and loose stony paths, with little tree cover, so shade is scarce and midday sun can be intense from late spring to early autumn. The tombs themselves are the ruined remains of the Merenid dynasty's funerary monuments, set on a bare ridge. Their broken walls frame the most celebrated panorama of the Fes medina, where the dense mass of rooftops, minarets and the Qarawiyyin quarter spreads across the valley below. Walking east or west along the ridge leads toward Borj Nord, the sixteenth-century Saadian fortress that now houses an arms museum, and visitors can use it as a natural turn-around point or continue downhill toward the medina walls. The best turn-around for a short outing is the far end of the ridge path once the view of the Bab Guissa side of the old city opens up. There are no reliable water sources, refuge huts or shelters on the hillside, so visitors carry their own water, and small cafes are only found near the road. Late afternoon is the favoured time for photography, when the light softens and the call to prayer carries up from the medina. Because the hill overlooks a densely populated area, the paths are used by local residents, and unsolicited offers of guiding are common; a polite refusal is generally sufficient. The loop usually takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours including time at the viewpoint.