Shrine and Zaouia of Moulay Idriss and other Moulay Idriss, Morocco Things to Do Tips

The Shrine and Zaouia of Moulay Idriss is closed to non-Muslims though you can walk up as far as the first courtyard and non one seems to mind if you take pictures from here. There is a low bar in front of this entrance which marks the limit point for non-Muslims. If you climb to the terraces above the Khiber quarter of the city you get a fantastic overview of the shrine. It’s not at all obvious how big it is from ground-level but at the terrace its dimensions are much more obvious.

So why is this such an important site? Moulay Idriss was the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and he is seen by many Moroccan’s as the founding father of their country. He introduced Islam to the Berber tribes and by all account she was a fairly pious man, certainly in comparison to later Moroccan rulers.

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Moulay Idriss is split into two quarters - Khiber and Tasga - which rise vertically on either side of the Mausoleum. If you climb to the top of either of these quarters there are excellent views of the town and you get a good idea of the size and layout of the mausoleum. The terraces can be tricky to find and you will be approached by local boys who will try and take you up to the top (for a small fee of course). We had pretty good directions in our guidebook so we went on our own though they did follow us for a while and they tried to send us the wrong way at a junction near a water fountain.

The terraces on the Khiber side are higher and there is a café at the top so we decided to follow this route. To get here: walk up to the entrance to the mausoleum and go through the arches to your left (as you face the mausoleum) and follow the path until you reach a water fountain. The path splits here and you should take the right fork (regardless of what any young locals might suggest) . After about 25 metres from the fountain you’ll see steps on your left which lead all the way to the terraces at the top. The café at the top - Terrasse Sidi Abdallah el Hajjam - is signposted from these steps so it’s easy to find your way from here.

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