Rabat – Moulay Idriss Zerhoun is a small town located at the foot of Mount Zerhoun in the Rif Mountains of Morocco.
It is known for its hills, olive trees, old green cement buildings, and lemons.
The city of Idriss Zerhoun is about three hours away from the city of Chefchaouen. It is a city known for being colored blue.
Due to the lack of a train station, the city of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun has remained lacking in tourists, especially foreigners.
This colorful city’s association with Idriss, the founder of Morocco’s first Islamic dynasty, makes it the holiest pilgrimage site in the country. “Visiting Moulay Idriss five times is equivalent to visiting Mecca in Saudi Arabia,” says my tour guide, Imad Al-Miloudi.
After the failed uprising of 786 AD, Idris I, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, made the Roman Berber ruins of Volubilis his headquarters in his quest to spread Islam.
After his death by poisoning in 791, he was buried several kilometers away, and devout Muslims began building houses around his tomb during the 17th century, giving rise to the modern city.
Today, the remains of columns, houses, public baths, and elaborate mosaics from Volubilis are scattered among fields of yellow flowers overlooking olive groves and vineyards.
“Two rivers ran here,” says Khaled, who guides me through the ruins. “The first inhabitants settled here in search of fertile land. They had everything they needed.”
Today, the city is a collection of old houses and Moroccan mosaics from Walili among fields of yellow flowers overlooking olive groves and vineyards.
The city is also known for the regularity of its residents going to the mosque. As time goes on and you hear the call to prayer, you see rows of people heading towards the mosque.
Moulay Idriss Zerhoun remains a peaceful, sacred town where history, faith, and tradition quietly endure.
