Qara Prison & Koubba el-Khayatine
حبس قارة وقبة الخياطين
A vast underground vault said to have held tens of thousands of Christian captives, beside the Koubba el-Khayatine, where the sultan once received foreign envoys.
The Qara Prison (حبس قارة) is an enormous underground space supported by thick arches, located inside the royal city south of the ضريح مولاي إسماعيل. Folklore holds that the sultan imprisoned tens of thousands of Christian slaves here, though most scholars believe it was originally a granary or storehouse. At the entrance is the Koubba el-Khayatine (قبة الخياطين), a 17th-century hall where the sultan received European envoys and negotiated the release of captives. The two sites share a ticket costing about 60 dirhams, and they are often combined with the mausoleum and the gate باب منصور العلج on a walking route.
Opening hours
About 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
- Bab Mansour (Meknes)
- Place El Hedim & Meknes Medina
- Dar Jamaï Museum
- Bou Inania Madrasa (Meknes)
- Bab el-Khemis (Meknes)
- Sahrij Swani (Agdal Basin)
- Bab Berdaine