Marrakech was founded in the year 1062 (year 454 of the Hegira) by Youssef Ibn Tasufin , first ruler of the dynasty Almoravid.
The Koutoubia Mosque founded in the twelfth century by the Almohad
The name comes from the Berber Marrakesh "Love" which means "country" and "Akouche" which mean "god" which gives the earth god or the holy land. Gives another etymology, from the dialect Tifinagh, the interpretation of "land of course. "
Soon, Marrakech, led by Almoravids, pious warriors and scholars from the austere desert, many mosques and madrassas (Koranic schools of Theology) were constructed, and a commercial center for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. Marrakech is growing rapidly and emerged as a cultural and religious influence. Palaces were built and decorated also with the assistance of Andalusian craftsmen from Cordoba and Seville, which led to the Umayyad style characterized by domes and arches carved lobed. This Andalusian influence merged with the elements or west-Saharan Africa and was synthesized in the original architecture perfectly suited to the specific environment of Marrakech. It became the capital of Emirate Almoravid stretching from the shores of Senegal to central Spain and the Atlantic coast to Algiers.
The city was then fortified by the son of Yusuf Ibn Tasufin , Ali Ben Youssef , which had built 1122-1123 to the ramparts still visible. In 1147
Almohades , proponents of orthodox Islam and the tribesmen Masmouda High Atlas, took the city. Latest Almoravids were exterminated except those exiled to the Balearic Islands (family Banu Ghania). Consequently almost all the monuments were destroyed. Almohads built numerous palaces and religious buildings, such as the famous Koutoubia mosque built on the ruins of a palace Almoravids, and twin sister of the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower (unfinished) in Rabat . The residence housed the Casbah Caliphate (since the reign of Abd al- Mumin the Almohad ruler bore the title of caliph, thus rivaling the far eastern Abbasid Caliphate), enhanced by a hospital doctor who drew the Andalusian Ibn Tufayl . Majestic of all the Casbah mansourienne, named after the caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur , are still the beautiful Bab Agnaw. Marrakech was well worthy to host the capital of the major power in the Muslim West Mediterranean at the time, the Almohad Empire that encompassed the area between Cordoba (Al Andalus) and Tripoli (Libya).
To feed the palm trees and large gardens, an irrigation system was built and perfected. Marrakech, by cultural influence attracted many writers and artists from places like Andalusia, including the famous philosopher Averroes of Cordoba, known for his commentaries on Aristotle.
In 1269, Marrakech was conquered by nomads to Zenata costs of the last Almohad. Occurs when the advent of Marinids, Marrakech then fell to a certain lethargy, and its decline led to the loss of its status as capital for the benefit of his great rival, Fez.
In the early sixteenth century, Marrakech again became the capital of the kingdom, having been the seat of the emirs Hintata. She quickly reestablished its peak, especially during the reign of Sultan Saadian , Mohammed El Mahdi and Ahmed al-Mansur Saadi . With the wealth amassed by the Sultans, Marrakech was embellished, ruined monuments were restored and sumptuous palaces built. El Badi Palace high Ahmed al-Mansur was a replica of the Alhambra, conducted with the most precious materials from Italy (marble), Sudan (gold dust), India ( porphyry) and even China (jade). The Badi also struck by his contemporaries "Qubbat al Jujjaj", its "glass dome" made of translucent crystal. But all this would disappear, dismantled on the orders of Sultan Moulay Ismail to 1695. This palace was designed primarily to lavish receptions offered to ambassadors from Spain, England and the Ottoman Empire, recognizing the Morocco saadien as a powerful force whose area of influence reached the borders of Niger and Mali, large gold-producing region. During the reign of the dynasty Saadian Marrakech found its role as a contact point between the Maghreb, the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan African world, through the caravan routes.
At the end of the seventeenth century, the Alawite dynasty succeeded to Saadian . The throne was successively transferred to Fes Meknes then, new imperial city. Sultan Mohammed III (1757-1790) chose the city as a place of residence, due to the proximity of Mogador he made plans to build a French architect who spent his service. In 1792, Marrakesh became the capital of a small son of Mohammed III , Hicham, who is by Sultan recognize as part of the country while his brother Sultan Sulayman was recognized legitimate Fez by the ulama and the provinces north of the river Oum Errabiaa. There followed a war between two rival sultans, which ended with the defeat Hicham in 1796, despite the support it enjoyed English. Marrakech was reconquered by Sulayman in 1797 and the city returned to the territory's official Makhzen Fez.
the early twentieth century, Marrakech experienced several years of unrest. After the death of the vizier Ba Ahmed in 1900, true ruler of the Empire Shereefian during the minority of the young Sultan Abd al-Aziz of Morocco, the country was plagued by lawlessness, tribal revolts, conspiracies of the great feudal without counting the European intrigues. In 1907, Moulay Abd al-Hafid , khalifa (representative of Makhzen) was proclaimed Sultan in Marrakech by powerful tribes of the High Atlas and by some scholars who deny the legitimacy of his brother Abd al-Aziz. Also in 1907, was assassinated a French doctor based in Marrakech Dr. Mauchamp, suspected of spying for his country. France takes this case to enter its troops in Morocco since Oujda to the east and Casablanca in the west. The French colonial army however was met with strong resistance led by Ahmed al-Hiba, a son of the great El Sheikh My Ainin mounted warriors of the Sahara with its nomadic tribesmen Reguibat. After the battle of Sidi Bou Othmane which saw the victory column on Mangin forces of al-Hiba (September 1912), the French captured Marrakesh thus entered the French protectorate in Morocco established since March 1912. The conquest was facilitated by the alignment of Imzwarn tribes and their leaders belonging to the powerful family Glaouis.
One of them, Thami El Glaoui, became famous by going to the post of pasha of Marrakech, a position he held almost throughout the period of the Protectorate (44 years). The Pasha Glaoui distinguished himself by his collaboration with the authorities of the residence general, which found its climax with the plot to dethrone Mohammed Ben Youssef ( Mohammed V) and replaced by the cousin of Sultan Ben Arafa. Thami El Glaoui, already known for his associations and his prestigious lavish lifestyle, worthy of a true monarch, and became an important symbol of the colonial and colonialist Morocco. He could still oppose the rise of nationalist sentiment, or the hostility of a growing proportion of the population. He could not resist the pressures of France, who agreed to divest its Moroccan protectorate because of the disaster in Indochina and the beginning of the war Algeria. After two successive exiles (in Corsica and Madagascar), Mohammed Ben Youssef was allowed to return to Morocco (November 1955), and that return marked the end of the reign of despotic Glaoui on Marrakesh and its region
Climate
Marrakech enjoys a semi-arid (BSH type according to Koppen). The city is located near the coast and do not enjoy this because of the moderating influence of the ocean. Temperatures are characterized by a large temperature difference between day and night. Summer afternoon are hot with temperatures often around 40 ° C in the shade while in winter the nights are often cold. The official record of absolute heat is 46.6 ° C [3]. In late summer the city can be prone to violent storms such as September 10, 2009 where 60 mm of rain fell in one hour. This caused flooding of several streets in the red city understood the Marrakech Menara airport . You can visit Marrakech all year but spring and fall seasons are the most pleasant with temperatures between 22.0 ° C and 27.0 ° C in the afternoon. The mountains of Atlas that surround the city are covered with snow from November to April of
Medina
Medina of Marrakech is the hub and heart of the historic city of Marrakech . Covering a total area of 600 hectares, it is one of the largest medinas of Morocco and most populous North Africa. Its refinement and urban character derived directly from virginity total land on which it was built in the eleventh century. Built around a military encampment, the Al Hajar Qasr, and a market, it was increased by a kasbah the twelfth century to protect it from repeated attacks of the Berber tribes of the plain of Haouz , thus contributing to sit lasting hegemony Almoravid . The famous walls of the old city of Marrakech underwent significant changes at the whim of dynasties. Thus, they were repeatedly pierced with new doors (in Arabic Bab ). Today, the height of walls between 8 and 10 meters and cover a total distance exceeding 19 km. The recent craze for
riads, the traditional Moroccan houses articulated around a central courtyard, has generated profound changes in sociological the medina of Marrakech, where the price of m² peaked. Thus, a sizeable and growing number of small households Marrakchis is seen driven by speculation in "exile" outside the walls. On the other hand, there is a phenomenon of densification of housing in the medina . However, it is far to attend a museumification of the medina, far from it. In reality, the success of growing tourist Marrakech medina has reinvigorated the long term by attracting many young people in the maze of the medina . Thus, it appears that more than 40,000 artisans working there, spread in different themed areas geographically organizing the medina. The
mellah , south of the medina is , was and remains today a lesser extent the Jewish quarter of Marrakesh . Far from being a ghetto, the Jewish quarter consisted of some trades that over and when the history of Marrakech, became the specialties of this community (The weaver was an example of this phenomenon). It was founded in 1558 under the reign of Moulay Abdellah to near the palace which allowed, as was the case in Fez, for example, the Sultan of better protection.
The Agdal Gardens adjacent to the south of the Royal Palace were created since 1156 according to the official historian of the Almohad dynasty El Haj Ya'is, the very man who was behind the prestigious Koutoubia. The term "aguedal" also means "garden" generally by Berbers, the description of Gardens the Aguedal not emerged as exclusive designation as the late eighteenth century. Its existence, undermined by time is intimately linked to the astute management of water resources that is made. Thus, the abstraction of water from groundwater was from the late eleventh century ensured by a dense network of "khetarras, assisted later by a more elaborate system of viaducts from Aghmat, town further south towards Valley Ourika . Finally, the storage of rainwater was carried out by two huge tanks with the largest, called Es Sala, served to drive troops to swim to cross the Gibraltar Strait.
Guéliz
The Gueliz named Jbel Gueliz , massive sandstone low-lying north-west of the old medina the name Berber. This was the first neighborhood outside the city walls once reserved for the dead. Structured around the current Avenue Mohammed V joining the Square and Bab Foucault Nkob Jbel Gueliz the Gueliz focuses most banks and shops of Marrakech. The station, located up on 16 November is also a building protectorale era, just as the old market Guéliz who was recently moved to give place to the complex Eden Square (commercial, residential and hotel ). The whole neighborhood Gueliz having been classified by the building area wilaya R + 5, there is a mass destruction
Hivernage
Located southwest of Gueliz, the district Hivernage is a neighborhood full of opulent villas, and many resorts such as Sofitel, Sheraton , the Golden Tulip Farah to name the most prestigious. The lungs of the neighborhood is Hivernage Avenue Mohammed VI , formerly Avenue France, and recently extended to reach the south-east of the road Ourika along the ramparts Agdal . This large and imposing home of the Green Avenue Theatre Royal , Palace of Congresses, as well as new main train station.
Avenue Mohammed VI
Although freshly launched in May 2004, the 5 km stretch of the Avenue Mohammed VI between the Avenue de la Menara the road of Ourika is developing rapidly in many residential complexes and hotels of high standard.
Moreover, it is along the Avenue Mohammed VI that was built the largest nightclub in Africa, the Pasha of Marrakesh , facility in Marrakech allowed to permanently acquire the new status place of rendezvous of the young and trendy clubbers. Finally, it was here that built the first multiplex Marrakech, the Mégarama, and follows the two "big" movies that were in Marrakech The Colosseum Gueliz , and Cinema Rif at Daoudiate. City marrakech has heard in recent years in the west with the new districts on the road to Essaouira. as ground hay and 1.2 et3.hay azli Socoma and surrounding douars as Douar Douar cherki and Berrada.
Sidi Youssef Ben Ali
Ward Sidi Youssef Ben Ali separated by gardens of Agdal Agdal Avenue
Sidi Youssef Ben Ali is one of two urban townships in Prefecture of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali . In 1994, with a density of 508 inhabitants per square kilometer (196,396 inhabitants in an area of 3.1 km ²) was the city's most dense Marrakech.
Stadium Sidi Youssef Ben Ali where trains Olympique de Marrakech is located.
Economy The economy of Marrakech based primarily on tourism, trade and handicrafts. The hotel infrastructure recent years has seen rapid growth. Marrakech is linked by the A7 motorway to the capital economic the country Casablanca since April 2007. South side, the highway will be extended from 233 km to Agadir the horizon in mid-2010.
Finally, A TGV line linking the city to Casablanca is under consideration for 2017, and then be extended to Agadir.
Tourism
The city is a tourist mecca, more than two million tourists each year. She is also the starting point for many excursions for hikers willing to walk the Atlas or the desert further south.
Monuments and tourist attractions
Place Jamaa El Fna (eleventh century)
Madrasa Ben Youssef (sixteenth century)
The Qoubba Almoravid (twelfth century)
Tombs Saadi (sixteenth century)
Fontaine Chrob or chouf (early seventeenth century)
Koutoubia Mosque (XII century) Mosque El
Mouassine (twelfth century) and its trout (sixteenth century)
Mosque Golden Apple (twelfth century)
Synagogue Salat Al Azama
Bahia Palace (nineteenth century)
El Badi Palace (XVI century)
Gardens of Menara (twelfth century)
Agdal Gardens (XII century)
Majorelle Garden (twentieth century)
Museum of Marrakech (nineteenth century)
Museum Dar Si Said (nineteenth century)
Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech (twentieth century)
Museum Bert Flint or house Tiskwin (twentieth century)
The souks of Marrakech
Events
Festival of Folk Arts Marrakech, annual festival taking place in July.
International Film Festival of Marrakech , event annual early December to reward the best Moroccan and foreign production of feature and short films. It has a growing reputation, recognized by the world.
Awaln'art Festival: Rencontres Internationales des Arts Street Marrakech, by the Company Shards of the Moon. Meetings are held simultaneously Tahanaoute , Ait Ourir , Aghmat , Amizmiz and Marrakech. Awaln'Art claims to be a catalyst for local development, cultural and tourism for the province of Al Haouz .
Festival Samaa Sacred Music, an annual festival taking place in July.
Marrakech Grand Prix car racing FIA WTCC will take place in Marrakech 1, 2 and 3 May 2009.
Sights around Marrakesh
Ourika Valley 30 km
Oukaimeden, ski resort 74 km
Toubkal National Park 70 km south of Cascades
Ozoud 120 km
Aghmat Archaeological Site, 30 km
Tinmel, old Berber village (eleventh century), 60 km
Draa Valley
The Berber village of Amizmiz
Source: Wikipedia ®
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