Meknes
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Mek·nes
A city of northern Morocco west-southwest of Fez. A capital of Moroccan sultans after c. 1672, it was once known as "the Versailles of Morocco" for its palatial buildings and splendid gardens. Population: 536,000.
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Meknes
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City (pop., 2004: 536,232), north-central Morocco. It was one of Morocco's four imperial cities, founded in the 10th century by a Berber tribe. Originally a group of villages among olive groves, it became the Moroccan capital in 1673 under Mauly Isml, who built palaces and mosques that earned for Mekns the name Versailles of Morocco. After his death it declined, and in 1911 it was occupied by the French. It is now a commercial centre for agricultural products, fine embroidery, and carpets.
For more information on Mekns, visit Britannica.com.
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Mekns
Meknès (mĕknĕs'), city (1994 pop. 443,214), N central Morocco. It has a noted carpet-weaving industry. There are also woolen mills, cement and metal works, oil distilleries, and food-processing plants. Meknès became (c.1672) the capital of Morocco under Sultan Ismail, who undertook such palatial building operations that the city was called the Versailles of Morocco. Little of his construction has survived.
A city of northern Morocco.
Meknes is situated 40 miles (60 km) west of Fez and 90 miles (140 km) east of Rabat and is surrounded by Arab and Berber tribes. Its population was estimated in 1994 as 460,000 inhabitants. Close to the fertile plain of Sais, Meknes benefits from its rich agriculture.
Meknes (or Miknas al-Zaytun) is one of the oldest Moroccan cities. The gathering of one faction of the Miknasa tribes (tenth century) seems to be the beginning of the founding of the city, which flourished later under different dynasties that ruled the Maghrib. Meknes gained prestige in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries when it became a makhzaniya city. Sultan Mulay Ismaʿil built palaces and made this city the capital of his kingdom.
Numerous religious groups - such as the Hama-dish Brotherhood and the Isawiyya Brotherhood - consider Meknes to be sacred and hold celebrations there. The most important occurs in the month of Mulud and honors Shaykh al-Kamil.
— RAHMA BOURQIA
Dialing Code:
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The telephone dialing code for: Meknes, Morocco
The country code is: 212
The city code is: 55
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Meknes
| Meknes ⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ/مكناس |
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 Meknes
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| Coordinates: 33°53′42″N 5°33′17″W / 33.895°N 5.55472°WCoordinates: 33°53′42″N 5°33′17″W / 33.895°N 5.55472°W | |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Region | Meknès-Tafilalet |
| Elevation[1] | 1,801 ft (549 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 985,000 |
| Official name: Historic City of Meknes | |
| Type: | Cultural |
| Criteria: | iv |
| Designated: | 1996 (20th session) |
| Reference #: | 793 |
| State Party: |  Morocco |
| Region: | Arab States |
Meknes (Arabic: مكناس, Berber: ⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ Mknas or Ameknas, French: Meknès, Spanish: Mequinez) is a city in northern Morocco, 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), before it was relocated to Marrakech. The population is 985,000 (2010 census). It is the capital of the Meknes-Tafilalet region. Meknes is named after a Berber tribe which was known as Miknasa (native Berber name: Imeknasen) in the medieval North African sources.
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History
The original community from which Meknes can be traced was an 8th century Kasbah. A Berber tribe called the Miknasa, originated from the Tunisian south, settled there in the 9th century, and a town consequently grew around the previous borough.
The Almoravids founded here a fortress in the 9th century. It resisted to the Almohads rise, and was thus destroyed by them, only to be rebuilt in larger size with mosques and large fortifications. Under the Merinids it received further madrasas, kasbahs and mosques in the early 14th century, and continued to thrive under the Wattasid dynasty. Meknes saw its golden age as the imperial capital of Moulay Ismail following his accession to the Sultanate of Morocco (1672–1727). He installed under the old city a large prison to house Christian sailors captured on the sea, and also constructed numerous edifices, gardens, monumental gates, mosques (whence the city's nickname of "City of the Hundred Minarets") and the large line of wall, having a length of 40 km.
According to the ICOMOS Heritage at Risk report of 2000, the historic city of Meknes contains insufficient drainage systems, and as a result suffers from inundation and leakage in certain areas.[2]
Geography
Neighboring cities to the south: Azrou, connecting via the N13 road, is a cedar region with the noted "College d'Azrou" where many members of the post-independence elite derived); and Ifrane (Al Akhawayn University).
Climate
Located near the Atlas Mountains, Meknes has a seasonal climate, shifting from cool in winter to hot days in the summer months of July–September. The nights are always cool (or colder in winter), with daytime temperatures generally rising about 10–14 °C (50–57 °F) every day. The winter highs typically reach only 15.5 °C (60 °F) in December–January (see weather-table below).
| Climate data for Meknes, Morocco (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
16.6 (61.9) |
18.6 (65.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.8 (74.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
19.3 (66.7) |
15.6 (60.1) |
23.03 (73.46) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 5.2 (41.4) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.2 (45.0) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
16.2 (61.2) |
12.8 (55.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
11.09 (51.97) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 89.4 (3.52) |
84.4 (3.323) |
78.4 (3.087) |
74.3 (2.925) |
42.6 (1.677) |
12.5 (0.492) |
2.1 (0.083) |
1.9 (0.075) |
14.1 (0.555) |
47.4 (1.866) |
79.6 (3.134) |
81.2 (3.197) |
607.9 (23.933) |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory[1] | |||||||||||||
Quarters
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Municipalities and communes of Meknes
The prefecture is divided administratively into the following:[3]
| Name | Geographic code | Type | Households | Population (2004) | Foreign population | Moroccan population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meknes | 061.01.01. | Municipality | 100470 | 469169 | 909 | 468260 | |
| Al Machouar - Stinia | 061.01.03. | Municipality | 1327 | 5387 | 14 | 5373 | |
| Boufakrane | 061.01.05. | Municipality | 1376 | 6326 | 4 | 6322 | |
| Toulal | 061.01.07. | Municipality | 2896 | 13852 | 5 | 13847 | |
| Moulay Driss Zerhoun | 061.01.09. | Municipality | 2906 | 12611 | 6 | 12605 | |
| Ouislane | 061.01.11. | Municipality | 9327 | 47824 | 12 | 47812 | |
| Ain Jemaa | 061.03.01. | Rural commune | 1893 | 13146 | 2 | 13144 | 2610 residents live in the center, called Ain Jemaa; 10536 residents live in rural areas. |
| Ain Karma | 061.03.03. | Rural commune | 1674 | 9738 | 0 | 9738 | 3828 residents live in the center, called Ain Karma; 5910 residents live in rural areas. |
| Ain Orma | 061.03.05. | Rural commune | 731 | 3716 | 0 | 3716 | |
| Ait Ouallal | 061.03.07. | Rural commune | 1039 | 5455 | 5 | 5450 | |
| Dar Oum Soltane | 061.03.09. | Rural commune | 915 | 6104 | 4 | 6100 | |
| Oued Rommane | 061.03.11. | Rural commune | 897 | 6076 | 0 | 6076 | |
| Dkhissa | 061.05.01. | Rural commune | 2476 | 13541 | 3 | 13538 | |
| Majjate | 061.05.03. | Rural commune | 1590 | 8514 | 9 | 8505 | |
| M'Haya | 061.05.05. | Rural commune | 3410 | 21112 | 2 | 21110 | 3952 residents live in the center, called M Haya; 17160 residents live in rural areas. |
| Oued Jdida | 061.05.07. | Rural commune | 2309 | 13634 | 1 | 13633 | |
| Sidi Slimane Moul Al Kifane | 061.05.09. | Rural commune | 2769 | 15136 | 3 | 15133 | 4362 residents live in the center, called Haj Kaddour; 10774 residents live in rural areas. |
| Charqaoua | 061.07.01. | Rural commune | 797 | 5540 | 0 | 5540 | |
| Karmet Ben Salem | 061.07.03. | Rural commune | 842 | 4180 | 0 | 4180 | |
| Mrhassiyine | 061.07.05. | Rural commune | 1621 | 7774 | 0 | 7774 | |
| N'Zalat Bni Amar | 061.07.07. | Rural commune | 1780 | 8609 | 0 | 8609 | 1070 residents live in the center, called N Zalat Bni Amar; 7539 residents live in rural areas. |
| Oualili | 061.07.09. | Rural commune | 1186 | 6151 | 0 | 6151 | |
| Sidi Abdallah Al Khayat | 061.07.11. | Rural commune | 1678 | 10014 | 0 | 10014 |
Main sights
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This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
- Dar El Makhzen palace, located in El Mechouar Stinia. It is sided by a 2 km-long corridor formed by two large walls. It was Moulay Ismaïl's official palace.
- Bab Mansour gate, named after the architect, El-Mansour. It was completed 5 years after Moulay Ismail's death, in 1732. The design of the gate plays with Almohad patterns. It has zellij mosaics of excellent quality. The marble columns were taken from the Roman ruins of Volubilis. When the structure was completed, Moulay Ismail inspected the gate, asking El-Mansur if he could do better. El-Mansur felt complied to answer yes, making the sultan so furious he had him executed. Still, according to historical records, the gate was finished after Moulay Ismail's death. The gate itself is now used as an arts and crafts gallery; entry is by a side gate.
- Lahboul gardens. It houses a zoological garden and an open-air theatre.
- Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, built in 1703 by Ahmed Eddahbi
- Néjjarine Mosque (10th century), located in the old city.
- The Grand Mosque, founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids. It has 11 gates and 143 arcades.
- Koubat Al Khayatin ("Ambassador's Hall"): a pavilion in which sultan Moulay Ismaïl received foreign ambassadors.
- Bab Lakhmis: a large decorated gate from the 17th century.
- Bab Berdaïne: a majestic gate built by Moulay Ismaïl in the 17th century.
- Dar El Beida, a 19th century palace built by sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. It is currently home to the Royal Military Academy.
- Royal stables
- Agdal reservoir, built by Moulay Ismail. It measures 319 x 149 meters, with a depth of 2 m.
- Cara subterranean prison.
The ruins of the Roman town of Volubilis (Oualili) are about half an hour to the north.
Photos of Meknes
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Industry
There are 171 industrial units in Meknes, employing 10,358 people. The chief industries are food processing, textile manufacturing, chemical and para-chemical industry, and metallic and mechanical industry.
Bab Berdieyinne mosque
The Bab Berdieyinne mosque (Arab: بردعين, French: Berdaïne), constructed in the 17th century, is located in the historical city center. On 19 February 2010, its minaret collapsed during Friday prayers, causing at least 41 fatalities and many injuries. The area had received heavy rain over the preceding days. King Mohammed VI ordered the minaret be rebuilt according to historical specifications.[4][5]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Meknes |
- ^ a b "Climatological Information for Meknes, Morocco", Hong Kong Observatory, 2003, web: HKO-Meknes.
- ^ ICOMOS Heritage at Risk 2000
- ^ "Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat de 2004". Haut-commissariat au Plan, Lavieeco.com. http://www.lavieeco.com/documents_officiels/Recensement%20population.pdf. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Morocco minaret collapse toll rises to 41, Hindustan Times, 20 February 2010
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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.
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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