Another great construction of Moulay Ismail in Meknes is Hri Souani. It is a complex of three different buildings just to the south of the royal palace. The main structure is the actual granaries which were built to store massive quantities food and water in case Meknes had been under siege.
This amazing site has been used as a scene for many films, the most famous of which is probably The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988 by Martin Scorsese. There are a series of 10 massive rooms with arched ceilings that can reach dimensions of over 25 meters long by 10 meters wide.
The walls were so thick that the food was naturally preserved from the highly variable temperatures of the Meknes region. Another part of the building contains the wells that give the name of "the house of water" (Dar El Ma). These wells were powered by animals to extract water which was stored in the "bassin d'Agdal" (Sarij Swani). This series of buildings provided ample stocks for the emperor to feel safe in Meknes.The Granaries have recently been restored and are now once again entirely open to the public. Entrance is 10dh like most of the monuments here in Meknes.
You can take a virtual tour of the granaries and other important sites of Meknes here.
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