Right in front of you stands a grand, sandy-colored city gate with towering square towers, scalloped crenellations on top, and intricate geometric green and blue tilework surrounding a majestic horseshoe arch - just follow the road to its large, shadowy entrance.
Now, let’s unravel the story of Bab el-Khemis, also known as the “Thursday Gate”-though don’t feel bad if you’re here on a Tuesday. Built way back in 1686 during the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail, this impressive gate was like the VIP entrance to the Jewish quarter, known as the Mellah, and also acted as the western doorway to a part of the city called the Garden of Amber. Imagine the lively crowds once streaming through for the Thursday souk, people haggling over goods, soldiers from the Oudaya’s army brushing shoulders with court officials, the air practically buzzing with anticipation. An inscription on the gate actually immortalizes its age, so you’re looking at poetry and dated history all wrapped in one ornate frame. But not all stories have a happy twist-years later, after a less-than-warm welcome home from a lost battle, Moulay Abdallah, the sultan’s son, was so miffed by the local jokes that he ordered much of the Mellah to be destroyed. The architecture’s beauty matches Bab el-Bardayin’s, so if you get déjà vu, that’s no coincidence! So next time someone makes a bad pun, just be glad you don’t have the power to demolish half a neighborhood.
