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Welcome to Morocco and to Casablanca

 

Casablanca

Symbol and mirror of the country’s modern evolution, economic capital, Casablanca is the metropolis of Morocco par excellence. The evolution of the city’s name follows the different stages of its history. With the name of Anfa, the city was the centre of the small Kingdom of the Berghouata, famous heretics, who were annihilated following the 

almohade conquest. In 1468, it was a prosperous small town when it was bombarded by the Portuguese. Following numerous incursions by the latter at the beginning of the XV and XVI centuries, the city was subjected to great changes of destiny.

 

Sacked for the first time in 1469, during an expedition, it suffered another raid in 1515 by the Portuguese who settled in the city, giving it the name Casa Branca. It was then completely destroyed in 1755 following the Lisbon earthquake.Moroccan once again, the city was given the Arab name Dar El Beida. The Alaouite sovereign Sidi Mohamed ben Abdellah had a great mosque built which bears his name. At the end of the XVIII century, the Spanish obtained exclusive rights to the harbour trade and the name 
Casablanca was known all over the world. The city’s vertiginous development, from 1926 onwards with the Protectorate, continued with the Proclamation of the Great Hassan II Mosque, the city experienced an acceleration in growth and a reinforcement of its role as the first city of  Morocco.

 

 

 

Rabat

Political and administrative capital of the country, Rabat is one of the oldest urban centres in Morocco. The names themselves witness this : Chella, the immense necropolis perched on the bank of the Bou Regreg, the medina enclosed by almohade walls from the XII century, the battlemented ramparts of the Oudaïa Kasbah and the great andalusian walls of the XVII century. 

The panoramic landscape that can be admired from the Hassan mosque which dominates the mouth of the river is one of the delights of the city. Rabat was developed from 1150 onwards, around the Ribat el fath (convent of victory) erected on the south bank of the Bou Regreg.

 

The almohade Abd el Moumen built a Kasbah (1146) now the nucleus of the Oudaïa Kasbah. His nephew, Yacoub el Mansour, built the Tower, the twin of the Marrakech Koutoubia and the  Seville Giralda. The Merinides made Chella into a great necropolis for their dynasty. In the XVII century, the city was ruled by Moorish Corsairs whose domination ended with the advent of Moulay Abd er Rahman in 1830. 

During the French Protectorate, Rabat was chosen as the coutry’s capital and seat of the general residence of the Governor. With independece the role of Rabat as leading city was confirmed.

 

 

 

Meknes

Relative and rival of Fes, Meknes appears in all its grandeur. The valley of the oued Boufekrane separates the “old city” from the “new city”. This division gives the impression of a juxtaposition of two different cities representing two different worlds : the most recent part with modern buildings and villas contrasts with the narrow streets and bustle of the medina.

The ancient imperial city still proclaims the glory of the Alaouite sovereign Moulay Ismail. The vast palaces and barracks, the forty kilometres of walls and ramparts and the monumental city gates give the city a sense of immensity. The history of the city goes back to it foundation by a branch of the Zenata tribe, the Meknasa, who created “ Meknasat al Zaytoun” “ Meknes of the "olive trees” , the real original nucleus of the city. On the present site of the city, 

 
the Almoravides built a fortress with a local market in the XI century. However, it was the Sultan Moulay Ismail (1672 – 1727) who chose the city as this capital and it is to him that it owes much of its prestige. 
A tireless builder, the Sultan used Negro slaves, Christian prisoners and common convicts as well as neighbouring tribes, to achieve his ambitions. In a few years, he built many kilometres of walls, immense granaries, mosques, kasbah, palaces for his harem, arsenals, pools and imposing gateways. The gate called Bad Mansour was completed by his son. One of the imperial residences, the Ed Dar et Beyda palace, has been transformed into a royal military academy where Moroccan army officers are trained.  

 

 

 

Fes 

Historical pre-eminence, cultural refinement and distinct urban layout have made Fes the epitome of the traditional Moroccan city. With its sumptuous palaces, great mosques and luxurious medersas, the city has always taken the lead : it is the most historic and evocative city in the country.The city was founded by Idriss I in 789, but it was his successor Idriss II, from 808 onward, who gave it its nodal aspect with the “Kairouanesi” and “Andalusi” districts. The additions to the medina known as Fes el Bali (Ancient Fes) are the work of later dynasties, from the Almoravides to the wall Alaouite sharifs. The Almoravides took down the wall  which divided the two districts and constructed a single city wall. 
The Almohades reconstructed the wall after destroying the previous one. In the XIII century, the Merinides erected a “new city”, Fes al Jdid, with palaces, administrative buildings and  a great mosque to which were added sanctuaries and barracks. From its earliest origins, the city was encircled by a double boundary wall pierced by monumental gates : Bad es Sammarin, Bab el Dakakin and Bab el Makhzen. 

 
The great mosque has a rectangular courtyard, seven naves perpendicular to the façade and a transversal nave which runs along the back wall. In the XVI century, the city in order to keep it under the aim of canons. The Alaouite Sharif Moulay er Rachid (XVII century) undertook the reconstruction of the walls of Fes el Bali and built the Cherarda Kasbah and the Cherratini medersa. The present-day city stretches from East to West with the “Ancient City”, the Dar Mehres encampments and Dar Ddibâgh followed by the modern districts of the new city.

 

 

Taroudant

Ancient capital of the Sous, Taroudant is famous for its location on the side of the Upper Atlas and for its reddish coloured city walls with many ramparts. The history of the city is rich in adventure and events which reflect the socio-economic dynamic of the region. Capital of a Shiite principality around about 1030, it was annexed by the Almoravides in 1056. During the Almohade era it was independent under the guidance of the Iddar family. Destroyed in 1306, its fortifications were reconstructed immediately. Under the Saadian dynasty, the city enjoyed notable prosperity. In 1687, it was attacked by Moulay Ismail and with the closure of Agadir to trade with the west, the city lost further importance. The city walls, several kms long and pierced by five gates, date from the beginning of the XVIII century but were continually rebuilt by the city rulers. 
The city itself is famous for its craftsmanship and its souks. On Assarag Square and in the labyrinth of narrow streets, jewellers, antique dealers and sculptors offer the products of local crafts : carpets, sheepskins, copperware, guns with embossed butts and miniature objects in soft stone decorated with punched designs.

 

 

Marrakech

Marrakech, great city of the South, capital many times over, with the majesty of its surroundings, the grandeur of its monuments and its magnificent colours which go from sumptuous red to exquisite violet, casts a spell on both those who pass through it and those who live there. The immense medina spreads over a vast square, two kms long on each side, within  the 12 kms long perimeter of thick city walls in ochre and red brown pisé, surrounded by an enormous palm grove and olive groves. The city spreads out abundantly at the foot of the majestic Upper Atlas and appears like a Saharan oasis.  
However, the Saharian appearance is due more to historical rather than geographical factors. Founded by the Almoravide Youssef ben Tachfin in 1602, at the beginning it was nothing other than an immense military encampment with a stone fortress where the Emir lived. Excavations have uncovered part of this Kasbah which formed the nucleus of the new city. At the time of the Almohade threat, the city was surrounded by a mighty Andalusian-type enclosure. Access within the walls was only possible through monumental and imposing gateways.

 

The Almohade sovereign Abd el Moumen destroyed all the Almoravide mosques and palaces. In their place he had the Koutoubia built, one of the most beautiful sanctuaries of the Moslem west. During the Almohade period, Marrakech became a centre of civilisation, never had the city been so prosperous. It attracted many thinkers and poets, including the famous philosopher and medic Averroé who died there in 1198. With the rise to power of the Merinides and until the XV century, the city suffered great decline.

The Saadian Ahmed Al Mansour, known as the Golden one, made Marrakech his principal imperial.  

Ouarzazate

 Administrative and economic capital of the Draa, Ouarzazate is of recent construction. It is presently enjoying important development thanks to tourism and agriculture.  The Mansour-ed Dahbi dam forms a great lake which allows the regulation of the flow of oued Draa in order to irrigate the land.

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