Why this ride
324 km from Fès al Bali to Fès al Bali, about 5 h 47 of riding. On the way it passes Archaeological Site of Volubilis, Historic City of Meknes, back through Historic City of Meknes and back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Medina of Fez and Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 324 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 47
- 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. Medina of Fez
The tanneries are what everyone remembers. In the Medina of Fez, at the Chouara quarter, round stone vats stand in rows like a giant palette, filled with white lime, red, yellow and brown dyes, and men stand knee-deep in them soaking hides of goat, sheep and cow as their ancestors have done for centuries. The smell is strong, and visitors are handed sprigs of mint to hold under their noses from the leather shops above, where you watch from a terrace.
Read the complete Medina of Fez write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Medina of Fez 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 102 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 131 km into the recorded legs you reach Historic City of Meknes. Next is Archaeological Site of Volubilis.
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 173 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 224 km into the recorded legs. Next is Medina of Fez.
7. Medina of Fez
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Medina of Fez write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Medina of Fez closes the day.
Leg by leg
Medina of Fez to Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Medina of Fez → Archaeological Site of Volubilis is 102 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 Medina of Fez
back through Archaeological Site of Volubilis → Medina of Fez is 99 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.