Bab Mansour

Claimed by some to be the finest gateway in North Africa, Meknès is dominated by this monumental gate at the top of the hill in the médina, opposite Place el Hedim. It dates from the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismaïl, and was completed by his son Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah in 1732, and marks the entrance to the huge grounds of his imperial city. The gate is named after one of the sultan’s Christian slaves, Mansour the Infidel. The huge size is more of a testimony to its sultan than a reflection of defensive strength. The gate is clearly more about imperial splendour than anything else. The decorated flanking towers do not even have firing posts. The outrepassé arch is surrounded by a blind arch, including the usual lozenge network motif and zellige tiling. Between the arch and framing band is a black-tiled area with floral patterns. The overall effect of the main gate is exuberant and powerful. The gate has come to be a symbol of Meknès, even of Morocco as a whole.