Marrakech,

Marrakech :

known as the Pearl of the South or South Gate and City or City red ocher, a city east of Morocco at the foot of the Atlas mountains. Distance: The distance between Casablanca and Marrakesh 240km east of the city was founded in 1062 by Youssef Ibn Tachfine, first king of the dynasty of the Almoravids. In the past, Morocco was known as the east of Marrakech, this designation is still in Iran, the name Morocco itself derives from the deformation of the Spanish pronunciation of Marrakech Marruecos.

History :

Marrakech was founded in 454 of the Hegira, corresponding to the year 1062 of the Christian era, by Youssef Ibn Tachfine, first ruler of the dynasty Almoravid.

The name comes from the Berber Marrakech "Amour" which means "country" and "Akouch" which mean "god" giving the land of god and the holy land.

Very quickly, in Marrakech, under the leadership of the Almoravids, pious and austere man, many mosques and madrasahs (Koranic schools of theology) were constructed, and a commercial center for the Maghreb and black Africa. Marrakech grew rapidly and became a cultural and religious influence, the walls are also built to protect the city. It becomes the core, the capital of the Almoravids.

The city was then fortified by the son of Ibn Tachfine Youssef, Youssef Ben Ali, for the construction of walls for several kilometers, the city's architecture was influenced by Fez, capital founded by Idris I, and Muslim Spain . These two cities are the cultural, Architectural Morocco, but also in Arab / Muslim it is they who have inspired Al Andalus, which had spilled in the Arab World.

In 1147, the Almohads, proponents of orthodox Islam conquered the city walls, the last Almoravid killed, almost all the monuments destroyed. The Almohad built many palaces and religious buildings, such as the famous Koutoubia mosque built on the ruins of a palace Almoravid.

To feed the palm trees and large gardens, an irrigation system was upgraded. Marrakech, by cultural attracted many writers and artists, especially from Andalusia.

In 1269, Marrakech was conquered by the nomads at the expense of Mérinides last Almohades. When the advent of the dynasty Mérinides, Marrakech then fell to a certain lethargy, and its decline resulted in the loss of its status as capital for the benefit of his great rival, Fez.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Marrakech became the capital of the kingdom, quickly reached its peak, in particular through the Saadian sultan, Mohammed El Mahdi. Part of the fortune amassed by the Sultans, Marrakech was embellished, monuments ruined and then restored with sumptuous palaces built. The palace built by the Saadian the Badi is a replica of the Alhambra, performed with the most valuable materials from Italy, Sudan, India and even China. A protocol inspired by the sumptuous Topkapi Istanbul is applied. Despite their opposition to the Turks, Saadian are attracted by the Ottoman civilization. A vestige of this influence lies in the name of the neighborhood Derb Dabachi, derived from the term "ogdabachi" and designate a senior officer in the Ottoman military hierarchy.

Marrakech will again lose its status as capital.

At the end of the seventeenth century, the current successor to the Alawite dynasty Saadian. The throne is successively moved to Fez and Meknès, the new imperial city.

In the early twentieth century, Marrakech has some years of civil war.

In 1912, the establishment of the French protectorate in Morocco put an end to this anarchy. In 1956, the return from exile of King Mohammed V in Marrakech will be celebrated in the rest of the country.

List of neighborhoods of the city

The medina :

* The 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 medina in Morocco and most populous of North Africa. Refinement and specificity planning a direct result of the virginity of the total land on which it was built in the eleventh century. Around a military camp, the Qsar El Hajar, and a market, it was increased by a kasbah in the twelfth century to protect it from repeated attacks of Berber tribes of the plain of Haouz, thus contributing to sustainable assoir Almoravid hegemony. The famous walls of the old city of Marrakech underwent significant changes to the liking of the dynasties. Thus, they were to repeatedly drilled new gates (Bab in Arabic). Today, the height of the walls varies between 8 and 10 meters and cover a total distance exceeding 19 km.

* The recent craze for riads, the traditional Moroccan houses built around a central courtyard, has generated profound social transformations in the medina of Marrakech, where the price of m² reached. Thus, a substantial number of small and growing household Marrakesh is 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 fact, the success of tourism growing sustainably invigorated Marrakech medina attracting many young people in the maze of the medina. Thus, it appears that more than 40,000 artisans work, divided in different thematic areas geographically organizing the medina.

* The mellah in the south east of the medina, was and remains today to a lesser extent the Jewish quarter of Marrakech. Far from being a ghetto, the Jewish body comprised of some professions over and when the history of Marrakech, became the specialty of community (The job of weaver was an example of this phenomenon). It was founded in 1558 under the reign of Moulay Abdellah near the palace in time, as was the case for example in Fez, the Sultan to better protect them.

* The Agdal Gardens adjacent to the south the Royal Palace were created since 1156 by the official historian of the Almohad dynasty by El Haj Ya'is, the very man who was originally from the prestigious Koutoubia. The term "aguedal" also means "garden" in a general way by the Berbers, the description of the Gardens Aguedal not name himself as exclusive to the late eighteenth century. Its existence, put to bad use of time is intimately linked to the astute management of water resources 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 overpasses from Aghmat, located further south in the direction of the Ourika valley. Finally, storage of rainwater was carried out by two huge reservoirs, the largest, called Es Sala, used to train troops to swim to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

Gueliz :

Gueliz The district takes its name from the Jbel Gueliz, massive sandstone low-lying north-west of the old medina in the name Berber. This was the first neighborhood outside the walls, once reserved for the dead. Around the current Avenue Mohammed V Square joining Foucault and Bab Nkob at Jbel Gueliz, the district Gueliz concentrates the majority of banks and shops of Marrakech. The post, located up on 16 November is also a building dating back protectorale, as the former market Guéliz which was recently moved up to yield the complex Eden Square (commercial, residential and hotel). The whole neighborhood Gueliz have been classified by the wilaya building area R + 5, there is a mass destruction .

The Hivernage :

Located southwest of Gueliz, the area around Hivernage is a neighborhood around opulent villas and many resorts such as Sofitel, Sheraton, Golden Tulip Farah to name only the most prestigious. The lungs of the district is Hivernage Avenue Mohammed VI, formerly avenue de France, and recently extended to reach the south-east the road to Ourika along the walls of Agdal. This broad avenue is home to green and the impressive Royal Theater, the Palace of Congress, as well as the large new station .

Avenue Mohammed VI :

Although newly opened in May 2004, the stretch of 5 km from the Avenue Mohammed VI Avenue linking Ménara the road to Ourika is developing rapidly in many residential complexes and hotels of high standing.

Moreover, it is along the Avenue Mohammed VI was built as the largest discotheque in Africa, the Pasha of Marrakech, property Marrakech that enabled her finally to acquire new status as a meeting place of the young and trendy "clubbers". Finally, it is here that was built the first multiplex of Marrakech, Megarama, succeeding the two "big" movies that were Marrakesh to Gueliz Coliseum, and the Cinema Rif in Daoudiate.

Economy :

Marrakech's economy is based primarily on tourism, trade and handicrafts. The hotel infrastructure has in recent years experienced rapid growth. Marrakech is linked by the A7 motorway at the economic capital, Casablanca, since April 2007. South side, this highway will be extended by 233 km to Agadir on the horizon in mid-2010.

Finally, A TGV line linking the city to Casablanca is under consideration for the year 2017 and then extended to Agadir.

Tourism :

The city is a tourist Mecca, more than two million tourists each year. It is also the starting point for many excursions for hikers willing to walk the Atlas or the desert to the south.