The green-roofed shrine at the heart of the town is the tomb of Moulay Idriss I, founder of the first Moroccan dynasty in the late eighth century and one of the holiest figures in the country. The current building dates to a substantial rebuild under Sultan Moulay Ismail in the late seventeenth century, with later additions. A horizontal wooden bar across the entrance lane traditionally marks the point beyond which non-Muslims cannot pass — you can stand at the bar, look down the tiled corridor, and watch pilgrims come and go, but no further.
The surrounding plaza is the natural centre of town life: stalls selling nougat and dried figs, taxi men waiting for fares to Meknes, old men on the steps of the cafes. The annual moussem at the end of August or in early September draws tens of thousands of pilgrims and is the country's largest religious gathering after the hajj.