Meknes

Meknes is a big city.

It is in Morocco.

A long time ago, a king lived there.

He made the city his home.

The king built huge walls.

He also built big gates.

There is a large square in the city. It has a name that means "the rubble."

Many people live in Meknes today. It is a busy place to visit.

Meknes is a large city in northern central Morocco.

It is part of the Fès-Meknès region. The city sits near the ancient site of Volubilis.

Many people live there today. A 2024 census counted 551,503 people.

Meknes has a very long history. Long ago, a Berber tribe called the Miknasa lived here. In the 11th century, the Almoravids built a fort nearby. Later, the city became the capital of Morocco. This happened under Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif.

He built a huge palace and strong walls. He also made grand gates to protect the city. One famous gate is Bab al-Mansur.

Sultan Ismail used many workers to build his city. Some people say there were many slaves. Most stories about this are likely too big. In fact, many rooms called prisons were just for food.

There is a large square called el-Hedim. Its name means "the rubble." This name came from old building bits left on the ground. Today, Meknes is a busy hub for travel and trade.

Meknes is a famous city in northern central Morocco.

It is one of the four Imperial cities in the country. The city sits in the Fès-Meknès region near the Saïss plain.

It is the sixth largest city in Morocco by population. A census in 2024 counted 551,503 people living there. Today, it is an important hub for trade and the economy.

The city has a very deep history. Long ago, a Berber tribe called the Miknasa lived in this area. They lived in small villages around the 10th century.

Later, the Almoravids built a fort just south of those villages. This fort became the start of the old medina.

Other groups like the Almohads and Marinids also lived there. The Marinids even built large schools called madrasas. One famous one is the Bou Inania Madrasa from 1336.

Meknes became the capital of Morocco under Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif. He ruled from 1672 to 1727. He chose Meknes to be his center of power. He wanted a fresh place to build his rule.

He built a huge palace complex on the south side of the old city. He also built strong walls and grand gates to protect it. One of these gates is called Bab Berda'in.

Building such a large city was a massive job. Sultan Ismail used between 25,000 and 55,000 workers. Some workers were paid, while others were slaves.

A large square called el-Hedim sits in front of the Kasbah. Its name means "the rubble." This name came from the debris left after old buildings were torn down. The Sultan also moved the Jewish community to a new area called the Mellah. This helped organize the growing city.

In the 20th century, things changed again. The French created a new part of the city called the Ville Nouvelle.

This new area was built on a plateau across the valley. The city also grew into a center for farming and grapes. Even though the capital moved to Rabat, Meknes stayed important. It remains a place where history and modern life meet. You can still see the old royal mausoleum there today.

Meknes is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco. It is located in the northern central part of the country. The city sits within the Fès-Meknès region. It is situated near the Saïss plain.

Currently, Meknes is the sixth largest city in the kingdom by population. A 2024 census recorded 551,503 people living there. It serves as the seat of the Meknès Prefecture. The city also acts as an important economic hub for the entire region.

The history of the area begins long before the current city was built. The Roman settlement of Volubilis was located near this site. Around the 10th century, an Amazigh or Berber tribe called the Miknasa settled the region. They established small, unfortified villages known as miknāsat al-zaytūn. In the 11th century, the Almoravids conquered the area. They built a fortified settlement called Tagrart just south of the Berber villages. This settlement became the foundation of the old medina.

The Nejjarine Mosque may have served as the central mosque for this early Almoravid settlement.

Different dynasties shaped the city through various stages of growth. The Almohads destroyed the city after a long siege in the 12th century. However, the caliph Muhammad al-Nasir rebuilt the fortifications and the Grand Mosque in the 13th century. Later, the Marinid dynasty took control in 1244. They built the first kasbah, or citadel, in 1276. The Marinids also built important madrasas, which are religious schools. These included the Bou Inania Madrasa in 1336.

Other schools like Madrasa al-Qadi and Madrasa Shuhud were also constructed by Sultan Abu el-Hassan.

Meknes reached its height as a capital under the Alaouite dynasty. Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif ruled from 1672 to 1727. He chose Meknes as his capital instead of Fes or Marrakesh. He likely wanted a fresh base of power away from traditional elites. He also wanted a more defensible location against Ottoman attacks from the east. Ismail began building a massive imperial palace-city on the south side of the old city. This construction lasted for 55 years.

He used between 25,000 and 55,000 workers to complete these massive projects.

The construction process changed the physical layout of the city significantly. Workers demolished existing medieval structures to make room for the new palace. This created a large pile of debris in front of the Kasbah. This area is now the el-Hedim square, which means "the rubble."

Sultan Ismail also built monumental gates like Bab Berda'in and Bab Khemis. He created the Mellah, a specific district for Jewish inhabitants, to the west of the old city. He also built several garrison forts, or kasbahs, to house his 'abid troops. One of the most famous gates, Bab al-Mansur al-'Alj, was finished by his son in 1732.

After the reign of Ismail, the city experienced periods of both neglect and renewal. The political situation in Morocco became unstable among his sons. Meknes lost its status as the capital and suffered during a 1755 earthquake. However, Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdallah built new projects between 1757 and 1790. He added the Dar al-Bayda Palace and the Er-Roua Mosque. The Er-Roua Mosque eventually became the largest mosque in Meknes. Over time, some former palace structures were converted into residential neighborhoods.

In the 20th century, the city underwent modern changes under French colonial rule. The French administration created a new city called the Ville Nouvelle. This was built on a plateau across the valley to the northeast of the old city.

While the capital of Morocco moved to Rabat, Meknes became a major transportation hub. The population grew from 25,000 to over 140,000 by the mid-20th century. The city also became a center for agriculture and viniculture. Today, the city hall stands as a symbol of this era. Meknes remains a vital link between Morocco's imperial past and its modern economy.