marrakech
MEDINA OF MARRAKECH
Marrakech is a city located in the center of Morocco, inland, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains.
It is nicknamed the “red city” or the “ocher city” in reference to the red color of a large part of its buildings and its houses. The city was founded in 1071 by Youssef ben Tachfine, at the head of the Berber Empire of Almoravides. In the past, Morocco was known in the East under the name of Marrakech (name still relevant in Iran)
the name Morocco comes from the deformation of the Portuguese pronunciation of Marrakech: Marrocos. Marrakech counts 928 850 inhabitants according to the census of 2014, spread over an area of 230 km2. The population density reaches 350 inhabitants per hectare in the Medina.
Marrakech was founded in 1070-1072 by the Almoravides (1056-1147), the capital of the Almohads (1147-1269). It was for a long time a major political, economic and cultural center of the Muslim West, Andalusia.
Grandiose monuments date back to this period: the Koutoubia mosque, whose incomparable 77-meter minaret, an essential monument of Muslim architecture, is one of the great landmarks of the urban landscape and the very symbol of the city, the Casbah , the ramparts, the monumental gates, and the gardens. Later, the city will host other wonders, such as the Badia Palace, the Ben Youssef Medersa, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace, and large mansions.
The Jamaâ El Fna square, inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, is a true open-air theater that always amazes visitors. Thanks to its original design, which has always been preserved, its construction materials and decoration are used and its natural environment (notably the Gardens of the Aguedal, the Menara and the Palmeraie whose plantation is attributed to the Almoravids).
the medina of Marrakech enjoys all its original cultural as well as natural components which give it an outstanding universal value.
