Marrakech, the ochre city Marrakech, (pronounce in Arabic Marrak' che), a long time remained the rival Southerner of Fez as an imperial capital. Marrakech extends on a vast plain - "of Haouz" - encircled by seven kilometers from walls pink-red in "tabiya", a mixture of local pink sand and lime. This color covers the monuments of this city like its dwellings old and modern, which applies to the city like nickname "Al Hamra" (it red). The ramparts were set up into 1126/27, to replace the bramble barrier which protected the first camping almoravide. The first subjects almoravides included tribes of the Atlas, nomads of the Sahara, various African and Maghrebian tribes overcome as well as former freed black slaves. The visitor will notice that the inhabitants of Marrakech are on average of color more in bed that the inhabitants of the other Moroccan cities, apart from the black population that gets along. Thus, Marrakech is "African" of all the other large cities of Morocco; a africanity which exceeds the borders of the Moroccan Western Sahara to extend to Tombouctou, in Dakar, in Guinea, etc In addition, the natural site of Marrakech is of a beauty to cut the breath: Located in an immense plain gained on the desert thanks to the tenacity of the men, with in background majestic the High Atlas, the largest assembly line of Morocco, at the snow-covered tops and with as girdle a palm plantation with the miles and palm trees… A decoration which in enivré more than one. Of all the Moroccan imperial cities, Marrakech is undoubtedly that whose name evokes more exoticism, expatriation and the enchantment. City in charge of history, Marrakech is surely not an unspecified, alleviating city. All is indeed original there, exciting, envoûtant even will say others: its site, its heteroclite and known population for a direction of impressing humour, its often rival craft industry of beautiful Fez in the north of Morocco, the international artists who fell in love from there and who live there in any anonymity, without forgetting its so beautiful Riads which the whole world tears off… The city knew to keep intact much these small things which had worked its face and which continue to survive out of time. Initially its craft industry; masterpieces which are born from the fingers and the hands of the Marrakchis craftsmen: leather tanned with old, work of the wrought iron exported everywhere in the world, traditional clothes Moroccan, traditional lamps in sheepskin to the artistic forms, pouffes embroidered, majestic carpet, etc The caravans, which formerly ensured a flourishing trade with the Black Africa, were accustomed to making there stopover in the search of a repairing rest before the great crossing of the Sahara. The ingeniousness and the obstinacy of the men ended up finding a solution with the scarcity of water. Will khittaras (or tanks) underground there will store water and will prevent the evaporation of the invaluable liquid, which makes live an immense palm plantation protecting from the ramparts ochres which, on their side, surround the "médina or traditional city". A little history… In 1053, of return of one pilgrimage to Mecque, Yahia Ibn Ibrahim chief of a tribe of Berber nomads, Sanhadja with the veiled faces, request with a spiritual Master, Abdallah Ibn Yassin "to teach" with its people. They cut off in a ribat "convent strengthened", in full desert, "to profit" from a formation religious, moral and military, which will transform them into frightening soldiers, inimitable strategists and controlling piles. In 1054, "people of ribat" Al-Mourabitoun, (name francized in Almoravides) give birth to a powerful empire, by taking a caravan quoted rich person: Sijilmassa. In 1056, Abou Bakr, ordering Almoravides armies takes Taroudant, then crossed the Atlas and seizes Aghmat. In 1062, Abou bakr installs a vast military camp in the plain of Haouz, it is the embryo of Marrakech. Quickly Youssef Ibn Tachin (Youssef Ben Tachfine) évince Abou Bakr, of which he was the lieutenant and is instituted commander of believing and melts Marrakech, which will be the second historical capital of Morocco. Very quickly Marrakech, under the impulse of Almoravides, pious and austere men, became an important shopping, cultural centre and monk for the whole of the Maghreb, Andalusia and part of the Black Africa. The son of Youssef Ibn Tachfine, Ali Ben Youssef, strengthened the city by drawing up ramparts on several kilometers, and, by building mosques and médersas (schools) which remain still nowadays. Moslem Spain exerted a great influence on the architecture of the city and vice versa, the two depend one on the same Empire: that Moroccan. Born in a small village berb ère de l'Anti Atlas, Mohammed Ibn Toumert étudie la théologie en voyageant dans le monde Musulman during ten years. In 1125 it Badly installs in Tin (Tinmel), in the High Atlas, a ribat to preach an intransigent rigorism. The dynasty of Almohade (AlMouahidine unifiers) had almost been born. In Marrakech, it disturbs the official theologists, it is presented in the form of a mahdi (the envoy of God), and its sermons ignited against Almoravides. With the assistance of the Masmouda tribes of the High Atlas and Under, it organizes a coalition with all the oppositions to Almoravides and in 1130 it tries a first invasion of the capital, which fails and half of the Almohades leaders perished. Some month later, Ibn Toumert dies, his death was hidden during two years, time to set up the new commander: Abd El Moumen was indicated officially as chief of the Almohade movement, and took the title of Caliph and seized Morocco methodically. That took to him more than ten years. In spring 1147, after a long seat, it took Marrakech and founded the reign of Almohade. The Almohade dynasty, undertook the enlarging and the embellishment of Marrakech. Yacoub Al MANSOUR undertook the completion of the construction of the mosque and the minaret of Koutoubia, one of the most famous monuments of the Islamic world, and which is, for Marrakech, which is the Eiffel Tower for Paris. The city then knew its glory and boom. Many writers and poets come from Andalusia and, attracted besides by the intense cultural activity and artistic, contributed in their writings to his radiation. Between Taza, Tlemcen (1) and Figuig, in the Eastern steppes, the Zénète tribe (Berber of the high plateaus, wandering stockbreeder of camels and sheep), plain with that of Blessed Mérine (Mérinides) carried out by an energetic chief in the person of Abou Youssef Yâacoub, do not accept the successive defeats and occupy all the north of Morocco. They secure then control of the caravan roads of the south and take Sijilmassa and the oases of the valley of Drâa. It is only in 1269 that they take Marrakech, putting definitively fine at the Almohade dynasty. Abou Youssef Yâacoub proclaims sultan then and establishes his capital in Fez El-Jédid. The advent of Mérinides had disastrous consequences on Marrakech which was seen abandoned by its scientists and craftsmen and forsaken with the profit of Fez, its rival of always. At the beginning of the XVI century, the Christian armies make pressure the ground Marocain. That causes a deep revival of the religious feeling. A family originating in Arabia, going down from the Prophet, Saadiens, was established in the valley of Draa, organizes a true holy war against the Chrétien invader. They find their chief in El Kaïm and carry out face reconquest of the Portuguese enclaves on the Moroccan ground and conquest of the capacity. They seize Marrakech in 1525. In 1551, the Sultan Saâdien, Mohamed Al Mahdi, whose dynasty reigned entirely on Morocco since 1529, installed his capital with Marrakech. The ochre city could thus join again with its record of antan. Indeed, Saadiens as large builders, restored the monuments fallen in ruins and built sumptuous palate, in particular the palate "Badi" built by the Sultan Ahmed El Mansour ED-Dahbi says victorious gilded the, victorious one since it could beat the strong Portuguese Kingdom at the time of the battle of the three Kings, gilded because of the trade of the gold which it maintained with Sudan. Although completely nowadays abandoned, the palate "Badi" is used as framework with famous and traditional National Festival of the Folklore which joins together, June of each year, best and many folk troops come from the four corners of Morocco of Morocco. Under the reign of the sultan Ahmed El Mansour ED-Dahbi, Marrakech reaches the apogee of its glory. But again, another dynasty, the current Alaouite Dynasty, succeeded Saadiens and the Sultan Moulay Ismaïl, contemporary of Louis XIV, undertook the construction of a new capital, Meknès, with an aim of making to "Versailles" Morrocan woman of it. The introduction of French protectorate on Morocco, in 1912, devoted the emergence of Reduction like administrative capital of the country definitively marking the end of the contemporary imperial character of the city. In spite of the adventures of the history, Marrakech deeply marked the life of Morocco of the centuries during, so much so that the foreigners called Morocco, Royaume of Marrakech. It is said besides that the word "Morocco" is a deformation of the name of this sumptuous city. Monuments of Marrakech *BAB DOUKKALA By crossing the prestigious doors of the ramparts, the mosque Bab Doukkala rises on the city. It is dominated by a fabulous minaret carrying a decoration of interlacing over green bottom. *JARDINS OF the AGDAL AND the MENARA the house of Ménara, which is still well preserved, impresses by its dimensions, the silence which reigns there and its very beautiful sight on the tops of the ha ut Atlas PALATE EL BADII (or B' DII) "the wonder of the wonders", this palate built by the Saadien Sultan, Ahmed El Mansour ED-Dahbi is regarded as the jewel of the time and an authentic model of balance, whose beauty was sung by the poets. The large historian, Al Fechtali, summarized the place which this palate occupied among the known world palates at the time, in this short description: "The Moroccan Sovereign eclipsed Omeyyades in Syria, the Abbasids in Baghdad and Fatimides in Egypt. He even exceeded the buildings of Kings Romains and Kings de Perse". This imposing Monument was built following the victory, in 1578, of the Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Dahbi over the Portuguese army, in the battle which transformed the geopolitical chart of the world at the time… battles famous in the world Western under the name of "the battle of the Three Kings". Many are the foreign envoys or artists who spoke about this palate since his construction. They all are unanimous to regard it as the "wonder of the wonders". Often transformed into battle field keen (because it remained with the eyes of all the applicants to the capacity the symbol of the authority: that which took it had the capacity and that which lost it, lost the capacity). This palate, in spite of the horrors which reached it and which destroyed the majority of its traces, always impresses by its size. *PLACE JAMAA EL FNA the Place Jamaa El Fna is incontestably the beating heart of the city. It is an at the same time peaceful and crawling place of world which offers thousand and one attractions to curious about the whole world, and, which is delivered to the acrobats, to the snake charmers, to the storytellers and to the jugglers throughout the day, and sometimes, late in the evening during the hot nights of the summer. This place was crowned world inheritance of orality by UNESCO, a world exception. *PALAIS Of the BAHIA the palate of Bahia, with superb decorations, whose construction goes up in XIVème century, is, like the majority of the Arab palate, equipped with richly decorated rooms, and contains beautiful gardens and pretty patios. *LA KOUTOUBIA Its minaret is a jewel of Moslem architecture. This tower dominates, the top of its 77 meters, the town of Marrakech. Built by the Almohade dynasty, it has only two rivals: Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat, both besides are the work of Almohades. Koutoubia strikes the glance by the beauty of its forms, which were studied with care and elegance by skilful main last craftsmen in the work of the stone. It is visible with more than 25 km of the city. It is the Tower Eiffel Locale! * MEDERSA BEN YOUSSEF Built by the sovereign mérinide, Abou El Hassan, in the middle of XIVème century, it was rebuilt, about 1564, by the sovereign Saadien, Moulay Abdallah. This theological school, is regarded as one of vastest of the Maghreb, and, courses of theology to students come from many Moslem countries exempted. It is one of the most beautiful monuments of Marrakech. * WALLS a length of more than 10 km, the walls of the city have 202 square towers, of ochre red color. They were built by the sovereign Almoravide, Ali Ben Youssef, in 1126, and were increased by its successors. These walls are bored very beautiful richly decorated doors. * TOMBS SAADIENS They date from the time of the large sultan Ahmed El Mansour (1578-1603), and contain the remainders of the dignitaries of the dynasty of Saadiens. Immured a long time, they were discovered only in 1917, and do not cease, since, to impress the visitor by the beauty and the richness of their decoration.
* The SURROUNDINGS the various dynasties which reigned in Marrakech always took a care particular to the natural framework of the city. A long fight, between the man and his medium, made it possible this last to overcome the desert and to create the conditions of its existence. Marrakech symbolizes, incontestably, the victory of the man over nature. The immense palm plantation, surrounding the city, contains several tens of thousands of trees on a surface of approximately 15.000 hectares, where a walk can bring a beautiful oxygen puff. A few kilometres from Marrakech, villages exotic, nested with the hillsides ochre red or green, constitute a seizing spectacle. The majority of these villages are equipped with "Kasbahs", in other words fortresses belonging to the descendants of the lords of the Atlas. Asni, Imlil, Ourika as Tazzerte where the old residences of Caïd Glaoui are, constitute a passage obliged for any person wishing to have better a knowledge of Marrakech and its surroundings. Torrents beading of the High-Atlas towards the plain finish in small rivers, before being channeled to be used for the irrigation of the fields and the grounds of cultures. The PATH OF NATURE the road of Tizi-N-Test is skirted by the valleys of the High-Atlas: kasbahs are roughcast on the foot of the mountain and merge with the landscape. * MOUNTS AND WONDERS OF the ATLAS Seen of Marrakech, the mountains, with their imposing mass and their covered with snow peaks, seem an unreal and fabulous decoration. It is however enough to traverse 20 km to start unforgettable excursions, and to discover the size, the strangeness and the splendour of the always renewed landscapes of the Atlas. In the south-east of Marrakech, to cross hospital Berber villages, Aghmat, Dar Caïd Ouriki, to follow the road, flanked gardens in terraces, along the Ourika wadi until Arhbalou. And there, that choice! To oblique on the right towards Oukaimeden (2 600 m), celebrate it winter sports resort, to 74 km only of Marrakech, or to admire Setti Fatma and its walnut trees centenaries, to plunge in reinvigorating water of its seven cascades, or to push to Annameure, village of the tribe of Aït Oucheg, there to rent mules and to climb until Djebel Yagour, high place of Moroccan prehistory which enorgueillit of 2.000 rupestral engravings. General presentation of the area: The Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz area, one of the 16 areas of the Kingdom, was creates following the promulgation of the law n° 47/96 relating to the organization of the area and the decree n° 2.97.246 of August 17, 1997 fixing the number of the areas, their territorial spring as well as the number of advisers to be elected. Geographically, the area is limited to North by the Areas of Chaouia Ouardigha and Doukkala-Abda, in the West by the Atlantic Ocean, the East by the Area of Tadla-Azilal and in the South by the chains mountainous of the High Atlas (Area Souss-Massed-Daraâ). It extends on a surface from 32114 km2, that is to say the equivalent of 4,5% of the own territory. Administratively, the Area includes/understands 3 Prefectures (Marrakech Menara, Marrakech Medina, and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali) and 4 Provinces (Al Haouz, Chichaoua, Kelâat Es-Sraghna, Essaouira); either 16 Circles including 216 communes (198 rural communes and 18 urban communes) or about 14% of the whole of the communes at the national level. In 1994, the population of cettte area was of 2.724.204 inhabitants is 10% of the national population, with a demographic density of 85 inhabitants per km2 against 36,6 inhabitants per km2 for the whole of the country. In 1997, L has population of this area was estimated at 2.832.000 inhabitants including 36,8% of urban population.