Royal Stables in Meknès

I probably should not be surprised with Sultan Moulay Ismail’s love for horses. Although he is known as a cruel ruler, he turns out to have a soft spot for horses. These horses are treated much better than people. The sultan wanted to be near the horses so he had a massive royal stables built for the horses, not too far away from the royal palace itself. In fact, the royal stables are probably closer to the royal palace then the medina is. I guess that means, that if you are on the good side of the sultan then you should be set up for life. The horses, in turn, have a massive stable to call home.

These days, the stables are a shell of its former self. It is right beside the granary where the horse feed is kept. but in contrast to the dark interiors of the granary, the stables themselves appears to be open air. It turns out this wasn’t always the case. There was a root here before, but the roof collapsed because of an earthquake. I found it difficult to imagine how this place could be a stable since there was no illustration on how it used to be. I probably would be nice to have a diagram to inform visitors so they get a better idea. As for me, the seemingly unending halls of the royal stables provide some great photo opportunities.

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