A tale of four cities

It is a classic pub quiz question: what is the capital of Morocco? If the pink-walled city of Marrakesh comes to mind, sadly you're mistaken.

While the desert city has been the ancient capital of more than one royal dynasty, the modern-day honour belongs to under-the-radar Rabat. Together with Fez and Meknes, they are the Kingdom of Morocco's four great imperial cities.

Befitting their dynastic status, all four are Unesco World Heritage sites. And drawing on Morocco's heady blend of Berber, African, Arab and European influences, each city serves up some-thing different.

Fez, the country's oldest imperial city, was founded by Sultan Idris II in the late eighth century. His father, Idris I, is credited with having brought Islam to Morocco, converting the indigenous Berber tribes and creating the first Arab Muslim dynasty.

The ancient medina, Fez el-Bali, is a complex maze of passages tightly packed with markets, mosques and mysterious doorways. Wandering its unfathomable streets, you get the feeling that not much has changed in 1,200 years. Donkeys laden with goods trudge past butchers displaying their bloody wares; a boy delivers his mother's freshly kneaded dough to the communal bakery; coppersmiths beat a mechanical metal rhythm, silenced briefly by competing calls to prayer.

An afternoon stroll leads us to the ninth-century Kairaouine mosque complex, home to the oldest university in the world but closed to non-Muslims. Through a keyhole-shaped door, we catch a glimpse of a courtyard decorated with colourful zellij (mosaic tiles) and endless carved stucco arches. The neighbouring Medersa el-Attarine (Koranic school) is open to all and is just as awe inspiring.