Heri es-Souani

Heri es-Souani is one of the most ambitious architectural projects of the Alaouite sultan Moulay Ismail (r. 1672-1727), who envisioned Meknes as a 'Versailles of the South' capable of rivalling the greatest capitals of his time. This vast complex combined grain granaries and royal stables, designed to ensure the imperial city's self-sufficiency during a prolonged siege — legend has it that the site could house and feed up to 12,000 horses.

The ingenuity of the site lies in its several-metre-thick walls and narrow skylights, which kept a cool, constant temperature inside to preserve food supplies, while a system of water wheels (norias) drew water from underground cisterns via an adjoining structure, the Dar el-Ma. Part of the roof collapsed during an 18th-century earthquake, leaving today a striking open-air 'forest of arches' — one of the most photographed sights in Meknes.

The site is part of the monumental ensemble of Meknes, an imperial city inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.