Meknes
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| Meknes | |
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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 (2006) | |
| - Total | 950,322 |
Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 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 950,322 (2006 estimate). It is the capital of the Meknes-Tafilalet region. Meknes is named after a Berber tribe which was known as Miknasa (native name: Imknasn) in the medieval Arabic sources.
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[edit] History
The original community from which Meknes can be traced was an 8th century Kasbah. A Berber tribe called the Miknasa 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]
[edit] 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).
| Historic City of Meknes* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Morocco |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Reference | 793 |
| Region** | Arab States |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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[edit] Main sights
- Dar El Makhzen palace, located in El Mechouar Stinia. It is sided by a 2 km-long cirrodir formed by two large walls. It was Moulay Ismaïl's official palace.
- Bab Mansour gate, named after the architect, El-Mansour, a Christian renegade who converted to Islam. 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 finished 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 teather.
- 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 pavillion 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.
- Royal Golf club, built in 1971.
The ruins of the Roman town of Volubilis (Oualili) are about half an hour to the north.
[edit] Quarters
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[edit] Communes of Meknes
[edit] Meknès Al Ismaïlia
- Aïn Jemâa
- Aïn Karma
- Aïn Orma
- Aït Ouallal
- Al Ismaïlia
- Al Machouar Stinia
- Dar Oum Soltane
- Maknassat Azzaytoun
- Oued Rommane
- Toulal
[edit] Meknès El Menzeh
- Boufakrane
- Charqaoua
- Dkhissa
- Hamrya
- Karmet Ben Salem
- M'haya
- Majjate
- Mergassiyine
- Moulay Idriss Zerhoun
- N'zalat Bni Amar
- Oualili (Volubilis)
- Oued Jdida
- Ouislane
- Sidi Abdellah el Khayat
- Sidi Slimane Moul Al Kifane
[edit] 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° (+18~26 F°) every day. The winter highs typically reach only 15.5°C (60°F) in December-January (see weather-table below).
| Weather data for Meknes, Morocco (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Average high °C (°F) | 15.3 (60) |
16.6 (62) |
18.6 (65) |
20.0 (68) |
23.8 (75) |
27.8 (82) |
32.7 (91) |
32.6 (91) |
29.6 (85) |
24.5 (76) |
19.3 (67) |
15.6 (60) |
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| Average low °C (°F) | 5.2 (41) |
6.3 (43) |
7.2 (45) |
8.8 (48) |
11.5 (53) |
14.6 (58) |
17.7 (64) |
17.9 (64) |
16.2 (61) |
12.8 (55) |
9.1 (48) |
5.8 (42) |
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| Precipitation mm (inches) | 89.4 (3.52) |
84.4 (3.32) |
78.4 (3.09) |
74.3 (2.93) |
42.6 (1.68) |
12.5 (0.49) |
2.1 (0.08) |
1.9 (0.07) |
14.1 (0.56) |
47.4 (1.87) |
79.6 (3.13) |
81.2 (3.2) |
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| Source: Hong Kong Observatory[1] | |||||||||||||
[edit] 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.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Climatological Information for Meknes, Morocco", Hong Kong Observatory, 2003, web: HKO-Meknes.
- ^ ICOMOS Heritage at Risk 2000
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Meknes |
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