The most beautiful religious buildings Middle Atlas

This is the most colossal building in Volubilis, with a surface area of 1,000 m². The basilica did not have a religious function, as one might think, but a judicial one, where the central nave housed the courts. This kind of public place is found in all Roman cities. It is likely that the various administrations of Volubilis, including the Curia, the municipal council, were located here. The basilica and the Arc de Triomphe were the only two monuments still standing when the site was discovered at the end of the 19th century.

This architectural treasure merinid is in the grocers attarine) (hence the name of the medersa. Facing the mosque, this El-Karaouiyine medersa of rather modest size, for 60 students, was founded by Merinid in the 14th century. It is without doubt the monument most richly decorated with the city, with its zelliges is very elaborate, its plaster and carved covering all the upper floor of the walls. The wooden ceiling with carved cedar of the prayer room is a masterpiece of the time.

The mausoleum is located a few dozen meters above the main square. Take the alley that passes under an arch. At the entrance, the beam (about 1.50 m above the ground) reminds you that you should not venture any further if you are not a Muslim and forces you to bow as a sign of respect if you are. The mausoleum was restored in the 19th century by Moulay Abd er-Rahman. Hassan II donated the gold and silk fabric on which the coffin was built in 1978.

This sacred place shelters the tomb of Moulay Idriss II, under whose reign Fez became an imperial city, the first in Morocco. It is covered with a golden silk fabric, offered by the corporation of silk weavers, as well as the smaller one of his mother. It is a place of pilgrimage, where people come to invoke baraka, luck. The faithful will be able to touch the tomb of the holy man, a descendant of the Prophet's family, through a pierced copper plate.

On the other bank of the Boukhrared wadi is the Andalusians, whose two treasures are the mosque of the Andalusians and, next door, the medersa Sahrij. Somewhat erased by the mosque El-Karaouiyne neighbour, the mosque of the Andalusians founded by a woman, Maryam al-Fihrya, the sister of Fatima (founder of Karaouiyine), in 860. The sanctuary has seven doors, whose most monumental, Bab Lahfa (gate), Barefoot is absolutely magnificent. Made of cedar and wrought iron, it is a rather unusual form for a mosque. The minaret dates back to 956. Finally, the presence of a rich library bears witness to the prestigious past of the mosque of the Andalusians. You can get there by the cif R' square or Bab Ftouh.

Prior to Bou Inania, it was built in 1325 on the order of the Mérinide Abou Said. In this mederasa mederasa, we can admire the finesse of the work of the most noble materials in Morocco, the white marble, the cedar of the Middle Atlas and bronze, in the entrance. A beautiful rectangular basin occupies the centre of the patio. What a pleasure it had to be for students to study in such a wonderful place and conducive to reflection! After long years of restoration, the mederasa reopened its doors in 2012, for the delight of lovers of calm and freshness!

More than for its not very spectacular ornaments, it is a medersa interesting to visit for its functional character. The medersa Cherratine is the largest of Fez and was built by Alaouites in the 17th century to lodge and train some 250 students.

Built in 1347 by Abou Hassan, one of the largest sultans merinid, near the mosque Qaraouiyne, this very large medersa takes its name from Abou Mesbah, scholar of the neighbouring grand mosque which taught there for the first time in the rate of theology. It has a beautiful pool fully marble imported directly from Andalusia. Partially ruins, the medersa was still under renovation during our stay.

Perched atop a promontory in the heart of the cedar forest, the Toumliline monastery offers a lovely panoramic view over the valley. Founded in 1952 by Benedictine monks, it symbolizes the desire of Pope Pius XII and Mohamed V to work together to bring Islam and Christianity closer together. The chapel is the only one in the world to feature the Cherifian cross in a Christian religious monument. In 1955, after the French army closed the summer camps, the organizers asked the monks for hospitality. Young Catholics and Moroccan students organized games, debates, round-table discussions and musical evenings, and got to know each other, despite the tensions between the communities. From there, a year later under the patronage of King Mohamed V, the summer meetings were born for reflection and debate on social issues. Politicians, intellectuals, clerics, poets, psychiatrists, engineers and other personalities from all walks of life attended these meetings, which lasted until 1961. The expression "the Spirit of Toumliline" recalls these moments of dialogue, peace, respect and sharing between the different communities. Closed since 1968 for lack of funding, the monastery is at the heart of a rehabilitation project led by the Fondation Mémoires Pour l'Avenir. The project includes restoration of the chapel and library, revival of the Rencontres Internationales and creation of a spiritual itinerary in the Middle Atlas.