Tourism in Morocco : Marrakech

The history of Marrakech :

The Red City, the red city was founded there almost a thousand years, exactly in 1062 by the Almoravid Abu Bakr, who built the first palace and the first mosque, near a spring at the foot of the hill Gueliz. This is the beginning of a story full of twists and turns of a city that is the capital several times, repeatedly abandoned, restored and revitalized. 

It is Marrakouch, the land of Kush son of, ie the area of ​​black Africans from Mauritania warriors support almoravides sovereigns. She is the Berber and the most African of the imperial cities, the most cosmopolitan too long and the richest. In its stones found thousand-year history, the remains of the first almoravides splendor (like Koutoubia Minbar) to rectilinear and modern architecture of the Villa Majorelle.

Reminded borders, Abu Bakr says his new city to his cousin, Ben Youssef Tashufin. Sultan embellishes his city through the spoils of conquest, including the riches brought from Spain by Andalusian Sultans. He died almost a century old in 1066 and his son, Ali Ben Youssef Ben Tachfine continue his work. But the wonders of the capital of a state that extended from the Atlantic to the Tafilalet and to Algiers is almost nothing a few walls, the qubba el-Ba'Adyine. Indeed, the Almohad, led by Abd El Moumen destroy completely in 1147. Once almoravides rolled over, rebuild the city, mainly with Andalusian artisans. Date from this era monuments like the Koutoubia gardens like the Agdal and Menara. 

At the fall of the dynasty in 1269, Marrakech was abandoned Fez for three troubled centuries. Saadi, who recover as its capital in 1522 had found a city depopulated by famine, impoverished, ruined. 

New reconstruction, revival, thanks in part to gold Portuguese after their defeat at the Battle of the Three Kings (4 August 1578), but especially African gold, brought Timbuktu by large Saharan caravans. At the end of the sixteenth century, Marrakech peaked, with more than 60,000 inhabitants, a large Jewish quarter, and the influx of Europeans, diplomats and traders. 

But Saadi lose power, its status as capital Marrakech for Fez, and infighting, the rising insecurity are Marrakech plunge into darkness. Moulay Ismail seeks to destroy all traces of the previous dynasty. Thus, the Saadian tombs are walled, and will be found by chance, during a scenic flight in the early twentieth century. At the end of the eighteenth Mohammed III restores the city again, replanted gardens. 

Under the protectorate, rebelliousness wins Marrakech becomes a fulcrum Saharans in dissent, for example, El Hiba. The protectorate is developing other cities, but also relies on the latest pashas of Morocco, the Glaouis who finally had to leave Marrakech after independence. The new town is built.

Holidays in Marrakech :

Holiday in Marrakesh, this is both the discovery of Moroccan cultural riches, guaranteed sunshine, and the pleasure of enjoying a city open to the world, international. One can live in Marrakech as a European, indeed many do, you can also still get lost in the medina.

Besides the museums, gardens and shade, Marrakech offers many shopping opportunities, and the night can be a real celebration. The town is at the foot of the Atlas, and we can in a short time to go enjoy the Ourika valley, or join the desert

And here are some pictures of Marrakech : 

A visit to Marrakech: the inevitable :

Koutoubia :

the Koutoubia 

The Koutoubia Minaret 

Koutoubia, the minaret 77 meters is visible for miles, was built by the Almohad dynasty in the late twelfth century, like its twin, the Hassan Tower in Rabat and the Giralda in Seville. Classic example of Moorish architecture, she wears four golden balls of decreasing size, which symbolize the sun, moon and stars. Her pink stones are simply decorated with floral Andalusian. It derives its name from a former free market (Kutub) who stood at his feet, and has now disappeared. We see the feet of the Koutoubia traces of an ancient mosque was destroyed because its orientation towards Mecca was wrong, and a white koubba, the tomb of Lalla Zohra, daughter of a freed slave, the legend says she was a woman the day and dove night. Like nearly all religious monuments, mosque and madrasah (Islamic school) are prohibited to non-Muslims .. 

Jemaa Fna 

Jemaa Fna, irregular shapes, ranked Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Formerly the executions in the public square, it is the point of appointment of all the small merchants, fortune tellers, snake charmers, musicians, singers, acrobats, henna setters, Gnawa, water sellers, showmen monkey Morocco. There are many sellers of orange juice stalls where you can eat grilled meat, snails, but all this excitement is not artificial, when restricted to tourists, it is enough to be convinced of past the audience of two actors whose jokes thrown in the purest Moroccan dialect incomprehensible by any other than Marrakchi. Recently repaved, and the car-the Jemaa Fna square is enjoyed twice, day and night. This is an entrance to the medina. One can also enjoy panoramic terraces of its various cafes to watch the show quietly. 

the walls 

If they have time to go through the medina, it takes at least walk around the ramparts and admire the huge doors, styles, which serve as markers to help navigate the medina. Their thickness is the witness of the difficult past of the city. 

Bab Doukkala opened near the territory of the lepers, it is said that the leaves of Bab El Khemis come from Andalusia, Bab ed-Debbagh provides access to the tanneries, Bab Aylen, who stopped the Almohads in 1129, Bab Aghmat by which finally passed the same Almohades in 1147, after a long siege and famine, and where stands the zawiya of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, one of the seven saints of Marrakech, Bab Ahmar, the red door behind the largest cemetery in Marrakech this is the door that is used by the sultans to visit their palace (when the king is not in Marrakech, it can be used to access the méchouar (parade) adjacent to the Dar El makhzen, the royal palace, and led to the Agdal Gardens, Bab Ighli, down the big méchouar and Bab Ksiba and Bab er-Rob (the door to the reasons), an Almohad defense that led to the fortified kasbah, and single point of passage of the "juice thickened reason" (a kind of mulled wine) which Yacoub el-Mansour sohaitait control the traffic, partly walled and now houses a pottery shop, Bab esh-Sharia, raised by the Almoravids and in alignment with the Menara, Bab al-Jadid, the new gate, the awe Bab Agnaou, door ram without horns, one of the most beautiful kasbah, which is named after the two towers flanked its angled entry to stop potential attackers, built by Abd el-Moumen together Koutoubia, with stones brought from Andalusia; this was the main entrance to the city, where was exposed heads on death row. 

Today the names of the gates are used to be in the medina, Riad as will near Bab Aylen for example, or Bab Agnaou.

Map Of Marrakech :