The Kara Prison

Fès-Meknès · Marocko · Prison

The prison was designed by a captive promised his freedom if he built something no one could escape — thousands were swallowed by the dark.

Legend says Habs Kara was designed by a Portuguese prisoner of war who was promised his freedom if he built a prison no one could escape. The result was a windowless labyrinth without doors, where inmates were lowered through holes in the ceiling and then left in the dark. Thousands are said to have been swallowed down there without ever coming up again, and the passages are claimed to run for miles beneath the city.

The 17th-century underground prison lies beneath the royal quarter of Meknes and was built under Sultan Moulay Ismail, the same ruler who raised the city's vast walls. The story of a French exploration party that vanished in the vaults in the 1990s means large sections are kept closed to visitors today.

FAQ

Where is The Kara Prison located?

The Kara Prison is in Fès-Meknès, Marocko.