Merenid Tombs

The Merenid Tombs, also written Marinid Tombs, are the ruins of a royal necropolis on a hill north of Fès el-Bali in Morocco. They date to the 14th century, when the Marinid dynasty, which ruled Morocco from the 13th to the 15th century, was at the height of its power and made Fès its capital. The tombs were built for sultans, princes and members of the court, and the best-preserved parts date to the reign of Abu al-Hasan in the 1340s. Over the centuries the site was neglected and stripped of its ornament, and today it consists mostly of roofless shells of brick and rubble walls, arched doorways and the outlines of burial chambers, with little surviving decoration. Its main appeal is the setting: the hill overlooks the whole of the medina, the green-tiled roofs of Al-Qarawiyyin, the minarets and the surrounding hills, and it is considered the best viewpoint for photographing Fès, particularly at sunset. The Marinids also built many of the monuments that visitors see in the medina today, including the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas, so the tombs help place those buildings in context. There is no ticket office and access is free, and the site is generally open at all hours. Some of the stone walls show signs of weathering and there is little interpretation on the spot, so a local guide or a guidebook adds useful background. The hill is reached by a short climb or a petit taxi ride from Bab Guissa, and the ground is uneven, with loose stones. Because there are no facilities, visitors should bring water and avoid the midday heat in summer. The tombs and the nearby Borj Nord are often visited together on a half-day viewpoint route.