Closed for centuries to outsiders, Moulay Idriss is a sacred place bathed in colour and tradition – and it makes a welcome respite from the crowds of Chefchaouen.

On a May morning in Moulay Idriss – a small town at the base of Jebel (Mount) Zerhoune in Morocco's Rif Mountains – I rise at dawn with the crow of roosters to beat the summer heat. Wandering towards the olive-tree covered hillside, I wind through a labyrinth of centuries-old cement buildings, where the walls are splashed in shades of mint, coral, lemon, violet and emerald.

The spectrum of pastel hues rivals the vibrant blues of heavily-touristed Chefchaouen, a three-hour drive north. Yet, historically closed to non-Muslims and lacking a direct train line, Moulay Idriss has remained largely off the tourist radar. Nevertheless, this technicolour town's ties to Idris I – the founder of Morocco's first Islamic dynasty – has made it the country's holiest pilgrimage site. "If you visit Moulay Idriss five times, it's considered the same as if you visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia," says Imad El-Meloudi, my tour guide.

Despite its brilliant colours and sacred status, life here is slow paced and steeped in tradition. The city opened to non-Muslims in 1912, and planned improvements to Morocco's high-speed rail system will soon make it easier to visit, as the nearby city of Meknes is a new stop on the link. "We are waiting for more visitors," says El-Meloudi. "We want to get the word out about one of Morocco's most important towns."

Feeling a failed uprising in 786 BCE, Idris I – the great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammed – made the Amazigh-Roman ruins of Volubilis his headquarters for his quest to spread Islam. Upon his death by poisoning in 791, he was buried several kilometres away, and devout Muslims began building homes around his grave during the 17th Century, giving rise to the modern town.

Today, remnants of columns, homes, public baths and detailed mosaics of Volubilis are spread among fields of yellow flowers overlooking olive groves and vineyards. "There were once two rivers that ran through here," says Khalid, who guides me through the ruins. "The first inhabitants settled here for the fertile land. They had everything they needed."

As Moulay Idriss developed, it quickly became Morocco's most important religious town. To protect its sanctity, it was closed to non-Muslims until 1912. Only in 2005 were non-Muslims allowed to stay overnight; a change decreed by King Mohammed VI hoping to bridge divides between Western cultures and Morocco while making Moulay Idriss better known to the outside world.

Some of the town's most sacred elements are still preserved just for followers of Islam, such as access to Idris I's tomb and the mosque. Through an arched pathway from the town's main........

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