Habs Qara

Above the Habs Qara

Above the Habs Qara

While the royal stables was an interesting structure, I was really that satisfied with the visit. The granary itself was largely bare. The stables were bare as well. Worst of all, there was little literature here to tell you what exactly is here. This seems to be quite common here in Morocco. You can see all sorts of nice places but you would know little about them. It would be better if they have a guided tour here if they don’t provide some sign which describes the place. In fact, when I was at the granary, there was a group which hired a guide. They already know more then I do.

There is an Underground Prison Here

There is an Underground Prison Here

Beyond the royal stables, there was little of interest, so I decided to head back to the medina. Not too far from the Bab Mansour, there was this open area but it had these curious holes, they look like fat pipes which just stick out of the ground. The “pipes” are covered but the sides aren’t. Turns out that this was the Habs Qara or the Qara Prison. The prison was actually below ground. Sultan Moulay Ismail was a fearsome conqueror and warrior. The defeated find their way here. I didn’t go below ground anymore but I would imagine that it would be very similar to the granary. With the exception of these pipes which are actually for air. They are probably covered so that rain doesn’t get in. Annoyingly, there are no signs which point to the presence of the underground prison, I only stumbled into it looking for a shortcut back into the medina.

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