Sahrij Swani Basin

The Agdal basin, also called Sahrij Swani, is a rectangular reservoir of roughly four hectares beside the granaries in Moulay Ismail's imperial city - about three hundred metres by a hundred and fifty, stone-lined, filled by a system that raised water from wells with animal-turned wheels and brought it by channel. Its purpose was double: irrigating the royal gardens and orchards, and holding a water reserve large enough to survive a siege, which was a governing preoccupation of the whole complex. It is still full and still used for irrigation, with a path round the rim, and in the evening it is where families from Meknes walk. There are no railings and no facilities; the interest is the scale and the engineering rather than any ornament, since it is a plain stone tank. Storks nest on the surrounding walls and the granaries are immediately alongside.

What you actually see

• A four-hectare tank - about three hundred metres by a hundred and fifty, stone-lined.
• A siege reserve - built to hold enough water to outlast a blockade.
• Still in use - full and irrigating, with a path round the rim.
• Storks - nesting on the walls of the surrounding imperial buildings.

When to go

October to April; evenings when the city walks there. Half an hour.

Honest expectations

It is a plain stone tank - there is no ornament and no interpretation. There are no railings at the edge. Water levels and cleanliness vary. It works as a stop beside the granaries rather than a destination.

Nearby

Heri es-Souani is directly beside it; the mausoleum is north.