Hi, my name is Chris and I run Savor Morocco, a Moroccan cooking school in Meknes, and I want to welcome you to Meknes, the least known of the 5 Imperial Cities in Morocco, yet the founding city of the current Alouite Dynasty. Even though we are quiet and tiny compared to the other 4 (Fes, Marrakech, Rabat & Casablanca), I love the small-town feel that Meknes has to offer. It is very difficult to get lost within our city, and a taxi ride rarely costs more than 15 dH (about $2 USD). Any time I want to go shopping, I don’t need to worry about having to bargain for 30 minutes to get a fair price. Tourism is on the rise thanks to current improvements being made throughout the city, and at the same time, hasn’t corrupted the store owners and taxi drivers.

Rumor Has It… The Tomato

Rumor has it that one day back in the 1980′s, the previous King (Hassan II) was traveling around Meknes in his car while all the people were waiting on the side of the roads cheering him on. It was probably one of those fabulous parades with countless musicians playing their drums and African instruments celebrating the arrival of their leader.

At one point in the King’s trek, while he was standing up and waving at the passing crowds, some random person ran up to the side of his vehicle and threw at tomato at the King, hitting him in the side of the head. Obviously humiliated and fuming, he headed straight back to Rabat and issued a decree that nothing could be built in Meknes for the following 10 years. They removed all the bricks, dirt and cement from the city and left us behind for the next decade. Over the past 3 years, we have seen many parks being built and buildings being restored. The current King (Mohammed VI) has definitely started pouring in the money to get the luster back in this once-extravagant city.