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77-544: An official public square or ceremonial space often existed in front of the main entrance or gate of early royal palaces in al-Andalus and North Africa, though the term meshwar was not necessarily used to designate them in historical sources. Notable examples include the square in front of the Bab al-Sudda gate of the Umayyad Palaces (8th-10th centuries) of Cordoba , Spain , where public executions took place and where

154-528: A qubba over the tomb of Sidi Mohammed ben Aissa (just outside the city walls) and built the current minarets of the Grand Mosque and the Nejjarine Mosque in the old city. The Dar al-Kebira, however, was abandoned and progressively transformed into a residential neighbourhood where the inhabitants constructed their houses within and between the former palace structures of Isma'il's time. In

231-528: A particularly serious and violent revolt erupted following attempts to divert the local river to benefit the French settler population during a time of food shortages for the native Moroccan population. A violent suppression of protests took place in the city which results in 13 dead and more injured. Following Morocco's independence in 1956, the changes which began or accelerated under French rule continued to run their course. Large scale rural migration increased

308-568: A population of 632,079 in the 2014 Moroccan census . It is the seat of Meknès Prefecture and an important economic hub in the region of Fès-Meknès . Meknes is named after an Amazigh (Berber) tribe historically known as the Miknasa ( Imeknasen in Amazigh languages ). Volubilis , a major Roman -era settlement in Morocco and one of its early urban centres, is located near the site of

385-642: A quasi-governmental agency based in Fez. The projects include proposed restorations to the historic city walls, to the Heri es-Swani , and to the Bou Inania Madrasa, along with other improvements to parking and tourism infrastructure. Meknes is located in a strategic position in the heart of Morocco . To its south and south-east are the rich cedar forests and mountains of the Middle Atlas mountains with

462-525: A reception pavilion was built which gave views over the river. Bab al-Jami' was a gate near the sabbat passage, facing the mosque. A number of other gate names are also attested which historians have attempted to locate. These include Bab al-'Adil ("Gate of Justice"), Bab al-Wadi ("Gate of the River"), Bab al-Ishbiliya ("Gate of Seville"), Bab al-Siba' ("Gate of the Lion"), Bab al-Asad, and Bab al-Hammam ("Gate of

539-520: A standard feature of most royal palaces (usually known as the dar al- makhzen ) in Morocco , many now dating from the later Alaouite period (17th-20th centuries). These were generally large open squares located just outside the gates of the palace or occupying a space between the palace's main external entrance and the inner palaces of the sultan's private residence. They were used as reception areas, public squares for military parades , and places where

616-403: A transportation hub for people and goods traveling from east to west or from north to south across the country, in addition to hosting extensive military barracks. The population of Meknes grew from 25,000 at the beginning of the century to over 140,000 by the mid-20th century. Some roads in the old city were widened to accommodate greater circulation, but most of the new development took place in

693-415: Is a vast plaza at the southern end of the old city, before the main gates of Moulay Isma'il's former royal palace complex. The square's name, el-Hedim, means "the rubble/debris" and refers to the demolitions which Moulay Isma'il carried out here during the construction of his palaces. He left this open space as a public square to separate his palace from the rest of the city. Since then, the square has become

770-544: Is also a military airport in Meknes. Public transport in Meknes is managed by the urban commune and it consists of: Meknes is home to the public Moulay Ismail University , with actually the following faculties, schools and institutions divided among three campuses in the cities: Meknes, Errachidia and Khenifra . In Meknes: In Errachidia : In Khenifra : In addition to Moulay Ismail University , numerous private institutes for higher education exist in Meknes. Meknes

847-701: Is later used to refer to reception areas or council chambers in the palaces of the region during the 13th-14th centuries and later. A meshwar was part of the citadel of al-Mansourah built by the Marinids in the 14th century just outside Tlemcen , Algeria , for example. Before this, also in Tlemcen, the Zayyanids created a royal citadel known as the Qal'at al-Mashwar ("Citadel of the Mechouar"), still known today as

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924-582: Is of light type, most of it is related to food processing especially in the Commune of Mejjat, and chemical and para-chemical industry in other industrial zones like the Agropolis industrial and agribusiness zone. Add to those the textile and metallic manufacturing which are old industries in the city. The year 2016 marks a new era of industry in the city of Meknes; it includes electrical wire, embedded systems, and automotive parts production companies. Many of

1001-544: Is rare. Meknes is the seat of the prefecture of Meknès, which consists of 6 municipalities (including the city Meknes) and 15 rural communes. The main historic monuments of the city are concentrated in the medina (old city) and the vast former Kasbah of Moulay Ismail to the south. The most notable monuments are listed below. Often compared to the Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakesh , el-Hedim Square (Place el-Hedim)

1078-501: Is similar to some inland cities in southern Portugal (such as Beja or Évora ) and some areas of southern Spain. The temperatures shifts from cool in winter to hot days in the summer months of June–September. Afternoon temperatures generally rise 10–14 °C above the low on most days. The winter highs typically reach only 15.5 °C (59.9 °F) in December–January, whereas night temperatures average 5 °C (41 °F). Snow

1155-506: Is the centre of this plain. Each year Meknes holds the International Agriculture Show in Morocco (French: Salon International de l'Agriculture au Maroc) since April 2006. This agriculture show has an area of more than 250000 square meters, with more than 60 countries participating, and more than 1200 exhibitors. The lands around Meknes area are known to be fertile and productive. The high elevation, fertility and

1232-715: The Albolafia and other norias ( waterwheels ) along the Guadalquivir River . (Although the Albolafia is also attributed by historians to either the 10th century or to the 12th century under the Almoravids . ) The palace complex was also equipped with a bathhouse ( hammam ) , known today as the Caliphal Baths ( Baños Califales ), which dates from the reign of al-Hakam II and was later expanded under

1309-925: The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos , the Episcopal Palace , the Seminary of San Pelagio, and the Campo Santos de los Mártires public square. When the Visigoths fell to the Muslim conquest of Hispania in 711, marking the beginning of Al-Andalus , the governors appointed by the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus established themselves initially in Seville . In 717 the governor, al-Ḥurr, moved

1386-546: The Almohads (12th to early 13th century). In the 10th century the official seat of government was moved to a new palace complex, Madinat al-Zahara , built by Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III outside the city. In spite of this move, the original Alcázar retained its importance. Abd-ar-Rahman III himself carried out many works here, building new water infrastructure as well as possibly the Dar al-Rawda or Garden House which, by its name,

1463-734: The El Mechouar Palace . It was located on an earlier Almohad fortress and acted as the royal residence and center of power in the city in many periods. A meshwar section (known as the Mexuar in Spanish) was also part of the Nasrid Palaces in the Alhambra of Granada , Spain . It was composed of a main external entrance gate followed by two consecutive courtyards leading to a council chamber at its eastern end, all of which

1540-643: The Episcopal Palace ) and converted into various structures, while a large part of it was transformed into the Alcazar of the Christian Kings , a royal residence of the Spanish monarchy. Few traces of the original Islamic-era palaces remains today. The palace complex covered a large area situated to the southwest of the Great Mosque , encompassing what is today the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos ,

1617-525: The Episcopal Palace , the Seminary of San Pelagio, the Campo Santos de los Mártires public square (which now covers the Caliphal Baths), and other nearby buildings. The palace complex was surrounded by walls which enclosed an area of 39,000 square meters. The palaces were linked to the Great Mosque via a high covered passage ( sabbat ) which was raised over the street between them, allowing

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1694-492: The Ville Nouvelle . The new French authorities took interest in the conservation of historic monuments in the old city; the madrasas, for example, were restored in 1922. During this period Meknes also became a center of agriculture and viniculture , led mainly by French colonists who appropriated large amounts of land nearby. Nonetheless, Meknes, like other cities, also hosted resistance to French authority. In 1937,

1771-719: The Viziers " or "House of the Ministries ") was an official building located near Bab al-Sudda. The main audience hall or throne room, the Majlis al-Kamil (roughly, "Perfect Hall"), was located nearby. The grounds also included extensive gardens, of which one was the Rawda , the royal cemetery or necropolis, located near the Bab al-Jinan ("Gate of the Garden"). This garden was encompassed by

1848-674: The caliph would stand or sit on a viewing platform built above the palace gate, as well as the ceremonial Bayn al-Qasrayn square in front of the Golden Gate ( Bab al-Dhahab ) of the Fatimid Palaces in Cairo , Egypt , where the Fatimid caliph also had a balcony above the gate from which to watch ceremonies below. A similar square or open space also existed at the entrance of the palace-city of Madinat al-Zahra (10th century), at

1925-478: The 11th century until the Christian conquest in 1236. The site was composed of heterogeneous constructions ranging from the private residences of the rulers and their households to the government offices and administrative areas. Today, only minor remains of the palace have survived, including the Caliphal Baths which have been converted into a museum. The rest of the site is occupied by later structures including

2002-491: The 11th century. Originally called Tagrart or Taqrart, this Almoravid settlement formed the beginnings of what is now the old medina of Meknes. The Nejjarine Mosque , often reputed to be the oldest mosque in the city, dates back to the Almoravid period and may have served as the central mosque of the Almoravid settlement. The mosque that became the present-day Grand Mosque of Meknes is believed to have been first built by

2079-603: The Alcázar into the official royal residence and seat of power in Al-Andalus. During this period the city flourished as a key political and cultural center, and the Alcázar was expanded into a very large and widely used area with baths, gardens, and the largest library in Western Europe . Abd ar-Rahman II was responsible for improving the water supply for both the city and the palace gardens. He may have also built

2156-541: The Almoravids in the 12th century. The fortress resisted the military advance of the Almohads , who destroyed the city after a long siege in the 12th century. However, at the beginning of the 13th century the Almohad caliph Muhammad al-Nasir (ruled 1199–1213) rebuilt the city and its fortifications, as well as its Grand Mosque. The city enjoyed relative prosperity in this period, before being conquered again by

2233-520: The Bathhouse"). Bab al-'Adil, a gate located at the southeast corner of the palaces (near the mosque), was known as the Gate of Justice because this is where citizens would present their petitions to the emir and the latter would dispense justice. Bab al-Hammam, as its name suggests, was located near the Caliphal Baths (or hammam) to the north. Bab al-Ishbiliya, as its name also implies, was located to

2310-683: The Caliphs (C%C3%B3rdoba) The Alcázar of the Caliphs or Caliphal Alcázar , also known as the Umayyad Alcázar and the Andalusian Alcazar of Cordoba , was a fortress-palace ( alcázar ) located in Córdoba , in present-day Spain . It was the seat of the government of Al-Andalus and the residence of the emirs and caliphs of Córdoba from the 8th century until the 11th century and the residence of local Muslim governors from

2387-634: The Dar al-Makhzen and Kasbah of Marrakesh , the Lalla Aouda Square of the Kasbah of Moulay Ismail (and also to an extent the nearby El-Hedim Square) in Meknes , and the Mechouar of the Kasbah of Tangier , among others. The modern Royal Palace of Rabat also includes a vast esplanade called the Mechouar, and the name is sometimes applied to the whole palace district in general. Alc%C3%A1zar of

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2464-486: The Dar al-Rawda ("Garden Palace") a palace built by Abd ar-Rahman I (if not by Abd ar-Rahman III ). The emirs and caliphs buried here included Abd ar-Rahman I (d. 788), Hisham I (d. 796), Al-Hakam I (d. 822), Abd ar-Rahman II (d. 852), Muhammad I (d. 886), Abdallah (d. 912), Abd ar-Rahman III (d. 961), and the Hammudid caliph 'Ali (d. 1018). On the north side of the Dar al-Rawda was another hall or pavilion known as

2541-513: The Embankment"). Bab al-Sudda was the southern gate, facing the river, and was the main gate of the palace. It was fronted by a public square where executions and military parades took place. The gate itself included a balcony or platform (called a saṭḥ ) from which Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III could observe the events. The heads of executed enemies were also hung here on display and a prison stood nearby. The "Iron Gate" (Bab al-Hadid), located to

2618-521: The Kasbah (the later Mosque of Lalla Aouda ) was also founded and first built in 1276. The Marinids also carried out major restorations to the Grand Mosque in the 14th century and built the major madrasas of the city near it. The latter included the Bou Inania Madrasa (built in 1336) and two other madrasas, Madrasa al-Qadi and Madrasa Shuhud , all built by Sultan Abu el-Hassan . After

2695-716: The Kasbah Tizimi. He carried out renovations to the Grand Mosque and the nearby Madrasa al-Qadi (which he devotes to students from the Tafilalt ), and founded the Zitouna Mosque. Khnata bent Bakkar , one of his wives who was vizier (minister) under him (and briefly became de facto ruler of Morocco in 1728 after his death), was responsible for founding the Bab Berda'in Mosque , completed in 1709. One of

2772-521: The Majlis al-Zahir ("Luminous Hall"). Lastly, the other notable buildings included the Caliphal Baths and a famous library, both created by al-Hakam II. The baths were located in the northwest area of the palace complex, near the private apartments of the emirs and caliphs whom they served. Other service-oriented structures and areas were also located near here. After the Christian conquest,

2849-682: The caliph direct access to the maqsurah area of the mosque via a corridor behind the qibla wall. The first sabbat was built by the Umayyad emir Abdallah (reigned 888-912) for security reasons and was replaced by al-Hakam II when he expanded the mosque. Of the configuration of the Alcázar we know only few details including the names of some of its renowned palaces and gardens thanks to historians like Ibn Idhari and Ibn Bashquwal (also reported by later historians like al-Maqqari ). According to Ibn Idhari there were two gates in its walls: Bab al-Hadid ("Iron Gate") and Bab al-Sudda ("Gate of

2926-734: The capital of al-Andalus to Cordoba, the former Visigothic capital, and moved into the former palace of the Visigothic king, known in Arabic sources as the Balāt al-Lūdriq . The palace was located near the Roman bridge as well as near the first mosque of the city (which was a Christian basilica being shared with the Muslim community). The Umayyads fell to the Abbasid Caliphate in 750 but

3003-441: The cities Ifrane and Azrou ; and more to the south are the rich oases of Tafilalt . To the west are the two largest metropolitan areas of Morocco: Casablanca and Rabat . To the north is the mountainous north of Morocco with the cities of Tangier and Tétouan . Oujda and Fes lie east of Meknes. Meknes has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification Csa ) with continental influences. Its climate

3080-413: The city economically competitive and attractive for investment. A December 2015 World Bank report classified Meknes as one of the three most competitive cities in Africa . Two of those three competitive African cities are Moroccan: Meknes and Tangier . Meknes is considered to be the capital of agriculture in Morocco. And the Saïss plain is one of the most fertile and rich plains in Morocco and Meknes

3157-440: The city for a siege of ten years. Below is a list of some of its main areas and monuments. The ruins of the Roman town of Volubilis (Oualili), another UNESCO World Heritage Site , are about half an hour to the north, as is the village and important pilgrimage site of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun . Meknes is an economic centre in Morocco with various products from three sectors (agriculture, industry and services), which makes

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3234-411: The complex lost its function as the center of political power and was transformed for other uses. One part of it became a religious center with the construction of the Episcopal Palace , taking advantage of the remains of the walls of the alcázar which can be seen integrated into the facade of the palace itself today, as well as part of the walls of the adjoining Palacio de los Congresos. A larger part of

3311-408: The current city of Meknes. The current city and its name, however, originate with a Berber tribe called the Miknasa who settled this region around the 10th century. A group of small unfortified Miknasa villages known as miknāsat al-zaytūn were established here in the 10th century. The Almoravids founded a fortress or fortified settlement just south of these villages after conquering the area in

3388-400: The early 19th century, Sultan Moulay Abd ar-Rahman added a loggia structure in front of Bab al-Mansur which served as a meeting place for ceremonies and the governor's tribunal, though this structure was later removed. After the installation of French colonial rule in Morocco in 1912, the French administration created a new city ( Ville Nouvelle ) on a nearby plateau across the valley on

3465-405: The east (facing Seville), as was Bab al-Siba'. Inside the walls, the layout of the Alcazar is only roughly known, with more information available about its arrangement during the emirate period than during the caliphal period. There were numerous structures and pavilions which housed the residences of the rulers as well as the offices of the state's administration. The Dar al-Wuzara ("House of

3542-411: The end of the Marinid and Wattasid periods, however, Meknes suffered from neglect as the new Saadian dynasty (16th and early 17th century) focused their attention on their capital at Marrakesh and neglected the old northern cities of Morocco. It wasn't until the Alaouite dynasty in the second half of the 17th century that Meknes received renewed attention. Under Moulay Rashid (ruled 1666–1672),

3619-406: The end of the road that led to it from nearby Cordoba. A couple of centuries later a main public square, known as the asaraq , was also included within the Kasbah of Marrakesh built by the Almohads at the end of the 12th century. It was situated within the administrative and service section of the citadel but it also gave access to the entrance of the sultan's private palaces. The term meshwar

3696-534: The first Alaouite sultan to unite Morocco under his rule, Fes became the capital once more and his brother, Moulay Isma'il ibn Sharif , governed Meknes. Upon Rashid's death in 1672, Moulay Isma'il became sultan and chose Meknes as his new capital. In addition to his possible attachment to the city as a governor, a number of reasons may have favoured this choice. One may have been the fact that Ismail had to fight hard to reconquer both Fes and Marrakesh from his rival nephew (Ahmad al-Mahriz, son of Moulay Rashid) during

3773-733: The first years of his reign, which may have rendered him skeptical towards both cities as possible centers of power. Moreover, Moulay Rashid had garrisoned much of Fes with his own contingents from the Tafilalt and eastern Morocco while Moulay Isma'il was forming his own personal royal guard composed of Black slaves ( 'abid ) from Sub-Saharan Africa , and there may have been concerns that not all these contingents could be garrisoned simultaneously in Fes. The ulema (religious scholars) of Fes were also particularly disapproving of his ways, including his use of slaves (many of whom were of Muslim background), and maintained tense relations with him throughout his reign. Choosing Meknes thus removed him from

3850-431: The focus of various activities including evening entertainers such as storytellers, acrobats, and musicians. The palace complex or "imperial city" of Sultan Moulay Isma'il was constructed over his entire 55-year reign from 1672 to 1727 (with some elements finished or remodeled shortly after). It occupies the site of the city's former medieval kasbah (citadel) and stretches over an area approximately four times larger than

3927-443: The following centuries. Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdallah , who ruled between 1757 and 1790, built a number of projects in the city. He added the Dar al-Bayda Palace in the Agdal garden to the southeast of the main palace complex, which was later turned into a royal military academy . He constructed the Er-Roua Mosque in the southern part of Moulay Isma'il's Kasbah, which became the largest mosque in Meknes. He also renovated and added

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4004-405: The fresh water of those lands favor the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, most notably: peaches, nectarines, prunes, apples, potatoes, onions and garlic. Meknes is also known for its olives and olive oil. Livestock raising, particularly sheep and cattle, is widespread. Meknes has large industrial units for milk and dairy production that fulfill most of the needs of the region. Industry in Meknes

4081-440: The historic city of Meknes contains insufficient drainage systems, and as a result, suffers from inundation and leakage in certain areas. Still, some conservation and restoration efforts have taken place in recent years, motivated in part by the revenues of tourism. As of 2023, a number of major restoration projects were planned or underway, led by ADER-Fès ( Agence pour la Dédensification et la Réhabilitation de la Médina de Fès ),

4158-409: The influence of traditional elites and allowed him to build a fresh base from which he hoped to exercise absolute power. The threat of Ottoman attacks from the east (from Algeria ) and the increasing insecurity in central Morocco due to tribal migrations from the Atlas and Sahara regions may have also persuaded Ismail that Meknes, situated further west, was more defensible than Fes. Whatever

4235-481: The last constructions before his death, carried out between 1721 and 1725, was the Heri al-Mansur, a palace on the far southern edge of the kasbah which included vast stables. The monumental gate known as Bab al-Mansur al-'Alj, overlooking Place al-Hedim, was only finished in 1732 by his son Moulay Abdallah . His son and brief successor, Moulay Ahmad ad-Dhahabi , carried out modifications to his father's mausoleum during his two brief reigns (in 1727–28 and 1728–29) and

4312-705: The medina, along with the main station for grand taxis (intercity taxis). A newer station for buses operated by CTM is located near the main train station. Two train stations are located in the new city district (French: Ville Nouvelle) of Meknes, with trains each hour to the east, west, and north of Morocco. One is larger than the other and serve a different purpose. Operated by ONCF, the following table lists destinations reachable via Meknes railway stations (round-trips): As mentioned above, Meknes city has two train stations, and their names are: Meknes Railway Station (French: Gare de Meknès) and Meknes Amir Abdul Qadir Railway Station (French: Gare de Meknès Amir Abdelkader). All

4389-424: The mentioned trains cited in the previous table stop by the former station; and except the first row of the table, all the remaining trains stop by the latter station. The nearest airport is Fes-Saïss Airport ( IATA : FEZ , ICAO : GMFF ) accessible only by road transport. Otherwise, Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, with more international flights and destinations, is conveniently accessible by train. There

4466-459: The mosque - almost on the corner with the north facade - a small door that gave access to the corridor behind the qibla wall. 37°52′41.6″N 4°46′49.6″W  /  37.878222°N 4.780444°W  / 37.878222; -4.780444 Meknes Meknes ( Arabic : مكناس , romanized :  maknās , pronounced [maknaːs] ) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco , located in northern central Morocco and

4543-457: The name of the large public square in front of the Kasbah today, el-Hedim (or Place el-Hedim), means "the rubble" and came from the masses of rubble and debris which were piled here during the demolition. Labour was carried out by paid workers as well as by contingents of slaves, particularly Christian prisoners of war . Estimates on the total number of workers involved range from 25,000 and 55,000. Nonetheless, frequently-told stories about

4620-416: The new Marinid dynasty in 1244. The first kasbah (citadel or governor's district) of Meknes was created afterwards by sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub in 1276 CE – the same year that the citadel of Fes el-Jdid was built in nearby Fes , the new capital. During this period, Meknes was frequently the residence of Marinid princes (often appointed there as governors) and especially of viziers . The Mosque of

4697-408: The north, was supposedly named because its door knockers were notably looted from one of the gates of Narbonne ( briefly occupied by Muslims in the early 8th century). Ibn Bashquwal names at least three additional gates: Bab el-Jinan ("Gate of the Garden"), Bab al-Quriya or Bab al-Qariya ("Village Gate"), and Bab al-Jami' ("Gate of the Mosque"). Bab al-Jinan was another southern gate, above which

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4774-422: The northeast side of the old city. The capital of Morocco was moved from Fes to Rabat , further marginalizing cities like Meknes (which is near Fes). Some traditional Muslim authorities and officials were retained, but Meknes was reorganized under a new French municipal and military regime. This also led to a greater influence of the cities over their surrounding countryside and growing urbanization. The city became

4851-542: The old city itself. It was composed of several autonomous palaces along with vast gardens, religious buildings, and other amenities. The complex was also notable for its impressive infrastructure, which included a water supply system with a hydraulic system of wells, norias (water extraction mechanism powered by wheel), canals, and underground pipes which distributed water to the royal city's many buildings. It also contained numerous monumental granaries and underground warehouses which stockpiled supplies that could allegedly sustain

4928-431: The original Muslim invasion by Tariq ibn Ziyad earlier that century. After a failed plot against him in 784, Abd ar-Rahman moved his residence definitively to the site of the palace in the city, which he transformed into the new Alcázar. A year later he also began construction of the Great Mosque next door. Abd ar-Rahman I and his successors (who eventually declared a new Caliphate ) built and continuously developed

5005-405: The population of the city and intensified the urbanization process (as elsewhere in the country). Industries developed around the city's perimeter, but at the same time the old elites and bourgeois families moved away to the coastal cities like Casablanca and Rabat. These changes also contributed to the relative neglect of the old city. According to the ICOMOS Heritage at Risk report of 2000,

5082-405: The reasons, Ismail made Meknes the center of Morocco in his time and he embarked on the construction of a new monumental palace-city on the south side of the old city. Its construction continued throughout the 55 years of his reign, beginning immediately after his accession to the throne in 1672. Existing structures dating from the earlier medieval kasbah of the city were demolished to make way;

5159-413: The services products in Meknes are related to tourism due to the attractions of the old city district (the medina ). The geographical location of the city of Meknes makes it one of the important transport hubs in Morocco. The city is accessed via the A2 expressway with two exits, one to the east of the city and another to the west. The city's Gare Routière (intercity bus station) is located west of

5236-419: The site was converted into the Alcazar of the Christian Kings , still present today and accessible to visitors. In addition to these remains, the only thing that is conserved of the alcázar are its baths, called Caliphal Baths , located in Campo Santo de los Mártires. As for the sabbat , it disappeared after the disappearance of the alcázar itself; however, it is still possible to see on the western facade of

5313-421: The sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital of Morocco during the reign of Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727), son of the founder of the Alaouite dynasty . Sultan Ismail created a massive imperial palace complex and endowed the city with extensive fortifications and monumental gates. The city recorded

5390-405: The sultan or the qa'id (main judicial official of the city) would receive petitions . Some inner mechouars, located within the palace enclosures, were used as the administrative section of the palace where various state officials worked or received their own audiences. Examples of such mechouars include the multiple mechouars of the Dar al-Makhzen in Fez , the mechouars along the south side of

5467-445: The surviving member of the Umayyad Dynasty, Abd ar-Rahman I , fled to Córdoba and established an Umayyad Emirate over al-Andalus in 756. Abd ar-Rahman initially resided in several palace- villas on the outskirts of the city, most notably one called ar-Ruṣāfa. Ar - Ruṣāfa may have originally been a Roman villa or a Roman-Visigothic estate which was taken over and adapted by a Berber chieftain named Razin al-Burnusi who accompanied

5544-484: The tens of thousands of Christian slaves used for labour and the large underground dungeons where they were kept are somewhat exaggerated and originate from the accounts of European ambassadors who visited Isma'il's court (often to negotiate the release of prisoners from their countries). In reality, the number of Christian slaves was likely closer to a few thousand at most and the chambers popularly called "prisons" were actually storage rooms for grain and supplies. It

5621-475: The western angle between the old city and the Kasbah. Moulay Isma'il also undertook works throughout the old city too. He refortified the walls and built new monumental city gates such as Bab Berda'in and Bab Khemis . He also built several other kasbahs or garrison forts throughout the city to house his 'abid troops and help protect (and control) the rest of the town, such as the Kasbah Hadrash and

5698-652: Was also in Moulay Ismail's reign that the Jewish inhabitants of the city were moved to a new Mellah or Jewish district to the west, near the Kasbah, not unlike the Mellah of Fes or that of Marrakesh. The Mellah was located between the old medina, west of Place el-Hedim, and the more outlying quarter of Madinat al-Riyad al-Anbari. Both the Mellah and Madinat ar-Riyad were part of an urban extension ordered by Isma'il in

5775-404: Was himself buried here in 1729. Following Moulay Isma'il's death, however, the political situation in Morocco degenerated into relative anarchy as his sons competed for power. Meknes lost its status as capital and suffered damage in the 1755 earthquake . The city was neglected and many parts of the enormous imperial kasbah fell into disrepair. The site received only occasional royal attention in

5852-479: Was probably located next to the Rawda cemetery and garden. Madinat al-Zahara was in turn ruined during the collapse of the caliphate in the early 11th century, causing the seat of power in Cordoba to return to the Alcázar, where local governors resided under later regimes. Following the Christian conquest of the city by Ferdinand III in 1236, one part of the Alcázar was donated to the bishop of Cordoba (today

5929-623: Was separate from the emir 's palaces (the Comares Palace the Court of the Lions ) further east. A number of other chambers were arranged around the courtyards, with the first courtyard likely being used by the secretaries and officials of the state administration, including the chancery or diwan , while the second courtyard was used by the emir for official audiences. The first courtyard even had its own mosque . Mechouars are later found as

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