Why this ride
322 km from Fès to Fès, about 5 h 44 of riding. The stops in between: Archaeological Site of Volubilis, Historic City of Meknes, back through Historic City of Meknes and back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fès Jedid and Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 322 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 44
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fès Jedid
Fès Jedid, the New Fez, is a funny name for a district that is over seven hundred years old. The Marinid dynasty founded it in 1276 as a royal city beside the older medina, with its own walls, palace and mosque, and put the government and army there, leaving the old town to scholars and merchants. It remains a quieter quarter, where wide streets and gardens give relief from the crush of Fès El Bali.
Read the complete Fès Jedid write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fès Jedid is where the day begins. Next is Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
2. Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Olive trees have surrounded Volubilis for two thousand years, and they still do. The Roman city, on a gentle slope below the Zerhoun massif north of Meknes, was the westernmost major town of the empire's province of Mauretania Tingitana, and it grew rich on olive oil, grain and the trade in wild animals for the arenas of Rome. Its ruins include a triumphal arch dedicated to the emperor Caracalla, a basilica, a forum, temples, and above all a series of houses with superb mosaics in their floors, showing Orpheus with his lyre, the labours of Hercules, Bacchus and Diana bathing. Volubilis became a World Heritage Site in 1997.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Archaeological Site of Volubilis comes up about 101 km into the recorded legs. Next is Historic City of Meknes.
3. Historic City of Meknes
Meknes is the city of Moulay Ismail, a sultan who ruled Morocco for fifty-five years from 1672 and decided that the capital needed to be as big as his ambitions. He built an imperial city of ramparts, gates, palaces, granaries and stables, using thousands of workers and captives, and the scale of it still startles. Bab Mansour, the great ceremonial gate, is covered in green and white tilework and marble columns taken from Roman Volubilis, and it stands over a large square called El Hedim, where storytellers and food stalls gather in the evening. The granaries, the Heri es-Souani, are a series of immense vaulted halls with walls several metres thick, where grain and animals were once stored, and the quiet inside is cool and heavy.
Read the complete Historic City of Meknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 130 km into the recorded legs you reach Historic City of Meknes.
4. Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Archaeological Site of Volubilis, about halfway. Next is back through Historic City of Meknes.
5. back through Historic City of Meknes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic City of Meknes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Historic City of Meknes sits at 170 km, about halfway. Next is back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
6. back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Archaeological Site of Volubilis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis comes up about 223 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fès Jedid.
7. Fès Jedid
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fès Jedid write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fès Jedid closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fès Jedid to Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Fès Jedid → Archaeological Site of Volubilis is 101 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Archaeological Site of Volubilis to Historic City of Meknes
Archaeological Site of Volubilis → Historic City of Meknes is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic City of Meknes to Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Historic City of Meknes → Archaeological Site of Volubilis is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Archaeological Site of Volubilis to back through Historic City of Meknes
Archaeological Site of Volubilis → back through Historic City of Meknes is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Historic City of Meknes to back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis
back through Historic City of Meknes → back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis to Fès Jedid
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis → Fès Jedid is 98 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.