Merenid Tombs

The Merenid Tombs are the ruined remains of a royal necropolis on the hills north of Fes el-Bali, in Morocco's Fès-Meknès region, and they are one of the most popular viewpoints over the city. The Merenids, a Berber dynasty that ruled Morocco from 1244 to 1465 and made Fes their capital, built the tombs in the 14th century as burial places for members of the royal family. Their architecture was originally impressive, with domed mausoleums, decorated entrances and carved plaster interiors, but the site fell into disrepair after the dynasty's decline and the structures were gradually stripped of their decoration and stone. Today only crumbling walls, arched openings and the outlines of domed chambers remain, set on a barren hillside. Several attempts at consolidation and stabilisation have been made in recent decades, but the site is mostly an open ruin, with little interpretive signage. The principal draw is the panorama from the hill: the entire medina of Fes el-Bali spreads out below, with the green-tiled roof of the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss II, the minaret of the Qarawiyyin and the tangle of rooftops visible, together with the old walls and the Borj Nord fortress close by. The hill is reached by taxi or by a walk uphill from the medina's northern edge, and the tombs sit on the same road as Borj Nord and the Museum of Arms. Visitors typically spend 20 to 30 minutes, mostly photographing the view, and sunset is a favoured time. There is no admission fee and the hill is open at all times, although the path is uneven and some caution is advised after dark. Despite the ruins, the site gives a sense of the scale of Merenid ambition in the 14th century, the period that produced the city's great madrasas.