A city of west-central Morocco in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Founded in 1062, it is a commercial center and a popular resort noted for its leatherwork. Population: 823,000.
Marrakech
Dictionary:
Mar·ra·kesh or Mar·ra·kech (măr'ə-kĕsh', mə-rä'kĕsh) 
|
A city of west-central Morocco in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Founded in 1062, it is a commercial center and a popular resort noted for its leatherwork. Population: 823,000.
Related Videos:
Marrakesh |
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
Marrakesh |
Marrakech
For more information on Marrakech, visit Britannica.com.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
Marrakech |
Marrakech or Marrakesh (both: märä'kĕsh, mə-), city (1994 pop. 672,478), W central Morocco. The city, renowned for leather goods, is one of the principal commercial centers of Morocco and a major tourist center. It was founded (1062) by the Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin and was the capital of Morocco from then until 1147 and again from 1550 to 1660. It was captured by the French in 1912.
Beautifully situated near the Atlas Mts., Marrakech has extensive gardens, ruins of a 16th-century palace, a former palace of the sultan that is now a museum of Moroccan art, and a royal necropolis (16th-18th cent.). The 253-ft (77-m) minaret (completed 1195) of the Koutoubia mosque dominates the city. The Université Ben Youssef, a center of Islamic studies, and a public university are in Marrakech.
Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia:
Marrakech |
Second largest city in Morocco; one of the four imperial cities of precolonial Morocco, established about 1060C.E.
Located in the Hawz, an agricultural plain bounded to the south and east by the High Atlas mountains, and watered by the Tansift river, Marrakech is situated in a natural site of great potential. In opposition to Fez, the Arab capital of Morocco, Marrakech is a Berber metropolis, which drew population from the Berber-speaking groups of the nearby central High Altas mountains. The city was founded by Yusuf ibn Tashfin (1060 - 1106), first ruler of the Almoravid dynasty (1055 - 1157), under whom Marrakech became the base for the conquest of Morocco, portions of the Maghrib, and Andalusia. Extensive irrigation works were undertaken at this time, but little remains of the architecture of the Almoravid period.
Conquered by the Almohads (1130 - 1269) in 1147, Marrakech became the capital of an empire that at its height extended from Tunisia to the Atlantic, and from the Sahara to Andalusia. The Almohads were the effective builders of the city, constructing the Kutubiya mosque, one of the finest examples of Hispano-Moorish architecture, together with the ramparts, a fortress complex, and extensive bazaars and gardens. The celebrated philosopher, doctor, and savant Ibn Rushd (known in the West as Averroes, 1126 - 1198) lived in Marrakech, where he wrote several of his best-known works.
Marrakech went into a prolonged decline during the reign of the Marinids (1244 - 1578), whose capital was at Fez. Under the Saʿdians (1510 - 1603), who made it their capital in 1554, Marrakech once again became an imperial city. Numerous important palaces were constructed at this time, and the irrigation system of the surrounding Hawz plain was revived. The Alawi dynasty (1603-present) has continued this tradition. The city continued to benefit from its position as a crossroad of trade between the mountains, the pre-Saharan steppe, and the fertile plains of central Morocco. Under Sultan Hassan I and his successors Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Hassan and Abd al-Hafid, Marrakech was drawn increasingly into the world capitalist market. In the period of the Moroccan question (1900 - 1912), European business interests in collaboration with local urban notables and Berber lords based in the city began to acquire substantial holdings in the Hawz plain and the surrounding area.
Under the French protectorate (1912 - 1956), effective authority was conceded to Madani and Tuhami al-Glawi, who ruled much of southern Morocco as pashas of Marrakech and imperial viceroys. In this period, the city became a major agricultural entrepôt and center of light manufacturing. There was considerable investment in irrigation technologies and agriculture, and the population of the city increased from 70,000 in 1912 to 145,000 in 1921 to 215,000 in 1952.
Since Moroccan independence in 1956, Marrakech has continued to grow. Its population in 1994 was about 673,000 people. It is a center of tourism and an agricultural marketplace for southern Morocco, with a university and important cultural installations.
Bibliography
Julien, Charles-André. History of North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria,Morocco, translated by John Petrie. New York: Praeger, 1970.
Pascon, Paul. Capitalism and Agriculture in the Haouz of Marrakech, translated by C. Edwin Vaughan and Veronique Ingman. London and New York: KPI, 1986.
— EDMUND BURKE III
Weather:
Marrakesh |
Dialing Code:
The telephone dialing code for: Marrakech, Morocco |
The country code is: 212
The city code is: 44
Wikipedia:
Marrakech |
This article is about the Moroccan city of Marrakech. For other uses, see Marrakech (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 31°38′N 8°0′W / 31.633°N 8°W
| Marrakech مراكش Murrākush |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
  Marrakech
|
|
| Coordinates: 31°8′N 8°0′W / 31.133°N 8°W | |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Region | Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz |
| Province | Province of Marrakech |
| Population (2004) | |
| - Total | 340,334 |
Marrakech or Marrakesh (Amazigh: Murakush, Arabic مراكش Murrākush), known as the "Red City", is an important and former imperial city in Morocco. The city of Marrakech is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.
Like many North African cities, the city of Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city (the médina, 2004 population 167,233) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz, 2004 population 173,101) for a total population of 340,334. [1] It is served by Ménara International Airport (IATE code: RAK) and a rail link to Casablanca and the north. [1]
Marrakech has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna.[2] The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers, and musicians. By night food stalls open in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant.
|
Contents
|
Name
The probable origin of its name is from the Amazigh (Berber) words mur (n) akush (ⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⴰⵅⵓⵙⵂ), which means "Land of God". (The root "mur" is used now in the Berber languages mostly in the feminine form "tamurt"). The same word "mur" appears in the country Mauritania, but this interpretation is still unproven to this day.
Until a few decades ago, Morocco was known as Kingdom of Marrakech by Arabs, Persians and Europeans. The European names of Morocco, Marruecos, Maroc, Marokko are directly derived from the Berber word Murakush. The city is spelled "Marrakech" in French, "Marrakech" or "Marrakesh" in English, "Marrakesch" in German and "Marakeş" in Turkish.
History
Prior to the advent of the Almoravids in the 11th century, the area was ruled from the city of Aghmat. The Almoravid leader, Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar decided Aghmat was becoming overcrowded and chose to build a new capital. He decided to build it in the plains near the Tansift river. He chose the site of Marrakech, because it was in neutral territory between two tribes who were vying for the honor of hosting the new capital.[citation needed] Work started in May 1070, but Abu-Bakr was recalled to the Sahara to put down a rebellion in January 1071 and the city was completed by his deputy and eventual successor Yusuf ibn Tashfin.[3] The city experienced its greatest period under the leadership of Yaqub al-Mansur, the third Almohad sultan. A number of poets and scholars entered the city during his reign and he began the construction of the Koutoubia Mosque and a new kasbah.
Prior to the reign of Moulay Ismail, Marrakech was the capital of Morocco. After his reign, his grandson moved the capital back to Marrakech from Meknès.
.jpg)
For centuries Marrakech has been known for its 'seven saints.' When sufism was at the height of its popularity, during the reign of Moulay Ismail, the festival of the 'seven saints' was founded by Abu Ali al-Hassan al-Yusi at the request of the sultan. The tombs of several renowned figures were moved to Marrakech to attract pilgrims in the same way Essaouira did at that time with its Regrega festivals. The 'seven saints' (sebaatou rizjel) is now a firmly established institution, attracting visitors from everywhere. The seven saints include Sidi Bel Abbas (the patron saint of the city), Sidi Muhammad al-Jazuli, Sidi Abu al-Qasim Al-Suhayli, Cadi Ayyad ben Moussa, Abdelaziz al-Tebaa and Abdallah al-Ghazwani.
Marrakech was dominated in the first half of the 20th century by T'hami El Glaoui, "Lord of the Atlas" and Pasha of Marrakech. The poet of the city was Mohammed Ben Brahim, his favorite place was café Al-Masraf. The poems and songs of Ben Brahim are still known by heart by many Marrakshi.
Demographics
Marrakech had an official number of population of 1,070,838 in 2004.[1] There is a very large international community consisting mainly of Europeans estimated at 10,700 people, mostly retired.[citation needed]
Further information: Demographics of Morocco
Main sights in Marrakech
Main article: List of places in Marrakech
Many tourists venture from Marrakech to visit the valley of the Ourika River in the Atlas Mountains or the valley of the Draa River in the south, near the Sahara desert. They also tour the Middle Atlas Mountains, where the Waterfalls of Beni Mellal are found, and to Essaouira on the Atlantic ocean.
Transport
- Menara International Airport serves as the main airport for the city and receives flights from Europe and neighboring Arab countries.
- A toll-paying motorway connects Marrakech with Casablanca.
- CTM coaches (intercity buses) and various private lines run services to most notable Moroccan towns as well as a number of European cities, from the Gare Routière on Rue Bab Doukkala in downtown Marrakech.
- Marrakech is the southern terminus of the ONCF, the Moroccan railway network, and Marrakech is well served by trains heading to Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, and Fes. The Marrakech railway station is located on Avenue Hassan II.
- The ONCF-owned "Supratours" bus company serves towns not served by the train. The bus timetable coordinates with the train timetable and the bus terminal is right beside the station.
References in popular culture
- "Marrakesh Express" is a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
- Alfred Hitchcock filmed the opening scenes of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) on location in Marrakech with Doris Day and James Stewart.
- The book Hideous Kinky, as well as its movie adaptation, are for a large part situated in Marrakech in the early 70's.
- "Marrakech" is a title of a chapter, as well as the chapter's main setting, in James Michener's The Drifters
- "Marrakech" (song) is a single from ATB's album No Silence.
- Marrakech is a track from Hybrid's 2003 album "Morning Sci-Fi".
- "Marrakesh Night Market" is a song from the album "The Mask and Mirror" by Loreena McKennitt.
- German hip hop band Ancient Astronauts released a song titled "Lost in Marrakesh" as part of their 2009 album "We Are To Answer".[4]
- The Venture Bros. episode Mid-Life Chrysalis begins with the team waylaid on their trip to Marrakesh where they are to fight an army of giant mutated lizards.
- The Absolutely Fabulous episode "Morocco" takes place in Marrakech.
- "Marrakesh" is a track from DJ Greyboy's 2001 album "Mastered the Art".
Sister cities
Climate
| Weather data for Marrakech, Morocco (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Average high °C (°F) | 18.4 (65) |
19.9 (68) |
22.3 (72) |
23.7 (75) |
27.5 (82) |
31.3 (88) |
36.8 (98) |
36.5 (98) |
32.5 (91) |
27.5 (82) |
22.2 (72) |
18.7 (66) |
|
| Average low °C (°F) | 5.9 (43) |
7.6 (46) |
9.4 (49) |
11.0 (52) |
13.8 (57) |
16.3 (61) |
19.9 (68) |
20.1 (68) |
18.2 (65) |
14.7 (58) |
10.4 (51) |
6.5 (44) |
|
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 32.2 (1.27) |
37.9 (1.49) |
37.8 (1.49) |
38.8 (1.53) |
23.7 (0.93) |
4.5 (0.18) |
1.2 (0.05) |
3.4 (0.13) |
5.9 (0.23) |
23.9 (0.94) |
40.6 (1.6) |
31.4 (1.24) |
|
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory[5] 2009-06-03 | |||||||||||||
Photo gallery
 The Saadian Tombs |
 The Koutoubia Mosque |
 Djemaa el Fna square by night |
 A view from a hill |
 Bab Agnaou city gate |
 Djemaa el Fna in the evening |
 Marrakech riad courtyard |
|
 Wall of Agdal Gardens |
 Sunset near Marrakech train station |
References and notes
- ^ a b c "Recensement Général De La Population Et De L'Habitat De 2004". hcp.ma. http://www.hcp.ma/pubData/Demographie/RGPH/Populationlegale(1).pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ^ Ready for the masses? - Daily Telegraph
- ^ Ibn Idhari, Al-bayan al-mughrib Part III, annotated Spanish translation by A. Huici Miranda, Valencia, 1963
- ^ "We Are To Answer" by Ancient Astronauts, Music Aloud
- ^ "Climatological Information for Marrakech, Morocco", Hong Kong Observatory, 2003, web: HKO-Marrakech.
- ^ Image credit
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marrakech |
- Marrakech travel guide from Wikitravel
- Official site of the city of Marrakech (Arabic, French)
|
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Shopping:
Marrakesh |
Learn More
 | Safi (city of western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean) |
| Super Cities: Marrakesh & Fez (1994 Travel Film) |
| Marrakech Inshallah (2006 Avant-garde / Experimental Film) |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2009 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Weather. © 2008 AccuWeather, Inc. Read more |
 |
| Dialing Code. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Marrakech". Read more |
ADVERTISEMENT
Mentioned in
- Safi (city of western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean)
- Super Cities: Marrakesh & Fez (1994 Travel Film)
- Marrakech Inshallah (2006 Avant-garde / Experimental Film)
- Hip Guide to Marrakesh (2004 Album by Various Artists)
- Two People (1973 Drama Film)
- Our Man in Marrakesh (1966 Action Film)
- Léon-Henri Prost (architecture)
- Muluk el-Hwa (World Band, '80s, '90s)
- Nass El Hal (World Band, '80s)
- Mustapha Baqbou (World Artist, '90s)
- Musical Brotherhoods From the Trans-Saharan Highway (2006 Music Film)
- Hassan Hakmoun (World Artist, '90s, 2000s)
- Saint-Laurent, Yves (Quotes By)
- Charles Boccara (art)
