Marrakech or Marrakesh, city (1994 pop. 672,478), W central Morocco. The city, renowned for leather goods, is one of the principal commercial centers of Morocco and a major tourist center. It was founded (1062) by the Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin and was the capital of Morocco from then until 1147 and again from 1550 to 1660. It was captured by the French in 1912.

Beautifully situated near the Atlas Mts., Marrakech has extensive gardens, ruins of a 16th-century palace, a former palace of the sultan that is now a museum of Moroccan art, and a royal necropolis (16th-18th cent.). The 253-ft (77-m) minaret (completed 1195) of the Koutoubia mosque dominates the city. The Université Ben Youssef, a center of Islamic studies, and a public university are in Marrakech.

or Marrakesh

City (pop., 2004: 823,154), west-central Morocco. One of the four imperial cities, it lies in the centre of the Haouz plain. It was founded in the mid-11th century by Yūsuf ibn Tāshufīn as the capital of the Almoravid dynasty. It fell to the Almohad dynasty in 1147, passed to the Marīnid dynasty in 1269, and was the capital under the Saayndid dynasty in the 16th century. In the premodern era, it was one of Islam's great cities. In 1912 it was captured by the French, who dominated the city until 1956. Now a popular tourist destination, it has many historical buildings and a well-known souk within its ancient city centre (designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985).

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Marrakesh or Marrakech (Amazigh: Murakush, Arabic مراكش Murrakush), known as the "Red City", is a city / wilaya with a population of 1,036,500 (as of 2006), the capital of the mid-southwestern Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz (#11), near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.

Name

The probable origin of its name is from the Amazigh (Berber) words mur (n) akush, which means "Land of God". (The root "mur" is used now in the Berber languages mostly in the feminine form "tamurt"). The same word "mur" appears in the country Mauritania, but this interpretation is still unproven to this day.

This city is the capital of the Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz region.

Until a few decades ago, Morocco was known as Kingdom of Marrakesh by Arabs, Persians and Europeans. European names of Morocco, Marruecos, Maroc, Marokko..etc are directly derived from the Berber word Murakush.

Marrakesh city has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers, and musicians, as well as drug lords by day; By night, the square turns into food stalls, becoming a huge open-air restaurant with busy life that include the infamous Ladies of the Night (prostitutes).

Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city (the médina) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz). It is served by Ménara International Airport (RAK is the code for the airport) and a rail link to Casablanca and the north.

The city is spelled "Marrakech" in French, "Marrakesh" in English, "Marrakesch" in German and "Marakeş" in Turkish.

History

Marrakesh is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat. It was known to early travellers as "Morocco City." Prior to the advent of the Almoravids in the 11th century, the area was ruled from the city of Aghmat. The Almoravid leader, Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar decided Aghmat was becoming overcrowded and chose to build a new capital. Being a nomad from the Sahara Desert, he decided to build it in the plains, away from the mountains and rivers. He chose the site of Marrakech, because it was in neutral territory between two tribes who were vying for the honor of hosting the new capital. Work started in May 1070, but Abu-Bakr was recalled to the Sahara to put down a rebellion in January 1071 and the city was completed by his deputy and eventual successor Yusuf ibn Tashfin. The city experienced its greatest period under the leadership of Yacoub el Mansour, the third Almohad sultan. A number of poets and scholars entered the city during his reign and he began the construction of the Koutoubia Mosque and a new kasbah.

Prior to the reign of Moulay Ismail, Marrakech was the capital of Morocco. After his reign, his grandson moved the capital back to Marrakech from Meknès.

For centuries Marrakesh has been known for its 'seven saints.' When sufism was at the height of its popularity, during the reign of Moulay Ismail, the festival of the 'seven saints' was founded by Abu Ali al-Hassan al-Yusi at the request of the sultan. The tombs of several renowned figures were moved to Marrakesh to attract pilgrims in the same way Essaouira did at that time with its Regrega festivals. The 'seven saints' (sebaatou rizjel) is now a firmly established institution, attracting visitors from everywhere. The seven saints include Sidi Bel Abbas (the patron saint of the city), Sidi Muhammad al-Jazuli, Sidi Abu al-Qasim Al-Suhayli, Cadi Ayyad ben Moussa, Abdelaziz al-Tebaa and Abdallah al-Ghazwani.

Marrakech was dominated in the first half of the 20th century by T'hami El Glaoui, Lord of the Atlas and Pasha of Marrakech. The poet of the city was Mohammed Ben Brahim, his favorite place was café Al-Masraf. The poems and songs of Ben Brahim are still known by heart by many Marrakshi.

Demographics

Marrakech had a population of 1,036,500 in 2006.

The official number of residents is one million. Also, there is a very large international community consisting mainly of Europeans: especially French, estimated at 10,700 people, mostly retired. Additionally there are Germans, Italians, English, and Swiss.

Main sights in Marrakech

Trips from Marrakech

Many tourists take a trip from Marrakech to visit the valley of the Ourika River in the Atlas Mountains or the valley of the Draa River in the south near the Sahara desert, but also to Middle Atlas Mountains: Waterfalls of Beni Mellal, and to the Essaouira on the Atlantic ocean.

Transport

Menara International Airport serves as the main airport for the city and receives flights from Europe and neighboring Arab countries.

A toll-paying motorway connects Marrakech with Casablanca.

CTM coaches (intercity buses) and various private lines run services to most notable Moroccan towns as well as a number of European cities, from the Gare Routière on Rue Bab Doukkala in downtown Marrakech.

Marrakesh is the southern terminus of the ONCF, the Moroccan railway network, and Marrakesh is well served by trains heading to Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, and Fez. The train station is located on Avenue Hassan II.

The ONCF owned "Supratours" bus company serves towns not served by the train. The bus timetable coordinates with the train timetable and the bus terminal is right beside the station.

Climate

Photo Gallery

References in popular culture

• "Marrakesh Express" is a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
• "Marrakesh Night Market" is a song by Loreena McKennitt on her album The Mask and Mirror.
• Alfred Hitchcock filmed the opening scenes of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) on location in Marrakech with Doris Day and James Stewart.
• "Marrakech" is a song by ATB.
• In the PC game Dope Wars, players are offered a bargain deal on Hashish when the "Marrakech Express" arrives.
• Mentioned briefly in a conversation during the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• "Marrakesh" is also a song by New Model Army.
• British progressive electronica duo Hybrid feature a song titled "Marrakech" on their album Morning Sci-Fi.
• Peter Kruder's debut solo album as Peace Orchestra also featured a track titled 'Marakesh'.
• The "Morocco" episode of the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous is set in Marrakech. The episode was first broadcast in February 1994.
• The Extra Glenns (John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats fame and Franklin Bruno of Nothing Painted Blue fame) have a song titled "Going to Marrakesh" on their album Martial Arts Weekend.
• Marrakech doubled for 1920s Egypt in the 1999 film "The Mummy."
• Marrakech appeared in the 2000 game-of-the-year "No One Lives Forever." It appeared in the first mission in the first three stages.
• Mentioned in passing in episode 8 of The Venture Bros., Mid-Life Chrysalis as Team Venture's intended destination before being grounded.
• The book "Hideous Kinky", as well as its movie adaptation, are for a large part situated in Marrakech in the early 70's.
• In an episode in the third season of Family Guy, Stewie Griffin plays with his toy train and dreams about himself being a spy fighting another man on a train roof. When winning, Stewie says the line: "I don't think you'll be making it to Marrakech".
• "Marrakesh" is also a song by Goombay Dance Band (1981).
• "Marrakesh" is a single stanza poem by Scottish all-round writer - David Duguid, which describes his tribulations in trying to get to Marrakesh - the dream location.
• In series four, episode seven of The Apprentice UK, the remaining candidates went to Marrakesh in order to do a purchasing task.

References and notes

External links

• Marrakech entry in LexicOrient