Meknes in July

July is one of Meknes's hottest months, with daytime highs around 36°C on the inland plain and the city radiating warmth long after dark. Sightseeing has to bend around the sun: take in the Bab Mansour gate, the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum and the medina at dawn and after sunset, and treat the midday hours as time for shade, a covered souk or a cool courtyard. Handled this way the imperial monuments are still rewarding, but the heat sets the pace of the day.

The exposed Roman ruins of Volubilis are brutal in July's midday heat, with almost no shade across the open site, so an early-morning visit is essential — the mosaics and the Triumphal Arch are best seen in the cooler first light. The hilltop town of Moulay Idriss nearby offers a little more shade. Fes next door is just as hot, so any two-city imperial circuit in July means a strict dawn-and-dusk rhythm in both.

The trade-off for the heat is fewer crowds at the monuments and softer prices than spring, even with European holidaymakers about. For heat-hardy travellers with a sensible daily rhythm — early starts, midday rest and unhurried evenings — July can work, especially for those who plan Volubilis at first light. For everyone else, the shoulder months of spring and autumn offer the same sights in far gentler conditions.