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Top Attractions in Marrakech

Marrakesh

Marrakesh or Marrakech is a major city in the northwest African nation of Morocco. It is the fourth largest city in the country, after Casablanca, Fes and Tangier, and is the capital of the mid-southwestern region of Marrakesh-Asfi. Located to the north of the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, by road Marrakesh is located 580 km southwest of Tangier, 327 km southwest of the Moroccan capital of Rabat, 239 km south of Casablanca, and 246 km northeast of Agadir. Marrakesh is possibly the most important of Morocco's four former imperial cities (cities that were built by Moroccan Berber empires). The region has been inhabited by Berber farmers since Neolithic times, but the actual city was founded in 1062 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, chieftain and cousin of Almoravid king Yusuf ibn Tashfin. In the 12th century, the Almoravids built many madrasas and mosques in Marrakesh that bear Andalusian influences. The red walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122-1123, and various buildings constructed in red sandstone during this period, have given the city the nickname of the "Red City" or "Ochre City". Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading centre for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa; Jemaa el-Fnaa is the busiest square in Africa. After a period of decline, the city was surpassed by Fes, but in the early 16th century, Marrakesh again became the capital of the kingdom. The city regained its preeminence under wealthy Saadian sultans Abu Abdallah al-Qaim and Ahmad al-Mansur, who embellished the city with sumptuous palaces such as the El Badi Palace and restored many ruined monuments. Beginning in the 17th century, the city became popular among Sufi pilgrims for Morocco's seven patron saints, who are entombed here. In 1912 the French Protectorate in Morocco was established and T'hami El Glaoui became Pasha of Marrakesh and held this position nearly throughout the duration of the protectorate until the role was dissolved upon independence of Morocco and the reestablishment of the monarchy in 1956. In 2009, Marrakesh mayor Fatima Zahra Mansouri became the second woman to be elected mayor in Morocco. Like many Moroccan cities, Marrakesh comprises an old fortified city packed with vendors and their stalls (the medina), bordered by modern neighborhoods, the most prominent of which is Gueliz. Today it is one of the busiest cities in Africa and serves as a major economic centre and tourist destination. Tourism is strongly advocated by the reigning Moroccan monarch, Mohammed VI, with the goal of doubling the number of tourists visiting Morocco to 20 million by 2020. Despite the economic recession, real estate and hotel development in Marrakesh has grown dramatically in the 21st century. Marrakesh is particularly popular with the French, and numerous French celebrities own property in the city. Marrakesh has the largest traditional Berber market in Morocco, with some 18 souks selling wares ranging from traditional Berber carpets to modern consumer electronics. Crafts employ a significant percentage of the population, who primarily sell their products to tourists. Marrakesh is served by Ménara International Airport and the Marrakesh railway station, which connects the city to Casablanca and northern Morocco. Marrakesh has several universities and schools, including Cadi Ayyad University. A number of Moroccan football clubs are located here, including Najm de Marrakech, KAC Marrakech, Mouloudia de Marrakech and Chez Ali Club de Marrakech. The Marrakesh Street Circuit hosts the World Touring Car Championship, Auto GP and FIA Formula Two Championship races.

Bab Ksiba

Bab Ksiba is one of the nineteen gates of Marrakech, Morocco. It was built in the 12th century in the time of the Almohad dynasty. The name Ksiba,, in Berber refers to the Kasbah district of the Medina, where this gateway is located. Kasbah means Fortress where Ksiba means literally "Little-Fort". To the left of Bab Ksiba stands an ancient Eucalyptus tree. The function of the Bab Ksiba gate provides access to the southern end of the Kasbah district of the Medina. The first citadel of the Sultans of Morocco. This makes obvious sense when one considers the big gate to the Kasbah found at the Kasbah districts northern end is Bab Agnaou, a highly decorated gate, the corner-pieces decorated with floral decorations extending around a shell. This ornamentation is framed by three panels and on these panels is an inscription from the Quran in Maghribi, foliated Kufic letters, which were also used in Al-Andalus. Bab Agnaou was renovated and its opening reduced in size, during the reign of sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. Forerunners of this horseshoe-shaped gate with its corner-pieces, framed by inscriptions from the Quran can be found in the Mezquita in Córdoba. Bab Ksiba and Bab Agnaou gives entrance to the royal kasbah in the southern part of the medina of Marrakech a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a favorite location for Tourist Accommodation within the Medina. The kasbah, built by the Almohad sultan Yaqub al-Mansour, is the site of El Mansouria, the El Badi Palace and the Saadian Tombs.

Almoravid Koubba

The Almoravid Koubba is a small Almoravid building in Marrakech, Morocco, dating to the 12th century. The Almoravid Koubba is next to the Museum of Marrakech and about 40 meters south of the mosque of Ben Youssef. It is the only remaining example of Almoravid architecture in Marrakech. It was built in 1117, was restructured in the sixteenth and nineteenth century, was rediscovered in 1948 and excavated in 1952, after having been buried beneath one of the outbuildings of the Ben Youssef Mosque. The dome was once used for ablutions before prayer (relying on the revolutionary hydraulics of khettaras, drainage systems), and also had a system of toilets, showers, and faucets for drinking water. It belonged to an Almoravid mosque, now long gone. The dome is on top of a rectangular bassin. The interior is richly decorated with floral patterns and calligraphy. The epigraphic decoration, which covers the frames and borders, is noteworthy for the fact that the foundation inscription is the oldest inscription in cursive Maghrebi script in North Africa. Materials used are marble and cedar wood. At the entrance and at the top of the prayer room is the inscription: I was created for science and prayer, by the prince of the believers, descendant of the prophet, Abdallah, most glorious of all Caliphs. Pray for him when you enter the door, so that you may fulfill your highest hopes. The inscription refers to the Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad, and gives hommage to Ali ibn Yusuf, the patron of the building.

Ben Youssef Mosque

The Ben Youssef Mosque, is a mosque in the medina quarter of Marrakesh, Morocco, named after the Almoravid emir Ali ibn Yusuf. It is arguably the oldest and most important mosque in Marrakesh. The first mosque in Marrakesh was erected by the Almoravid emir Yusuf ibn Tashfin in the 1070s, to serve as the central congregational mosque of the fledgling city. It was one of the first brick buildings in the city, and Ibn Tashfin is said to have been personally engaged in mixing the mortar and laying of the bricks. His son and successor Ali ibn Yusuf built a grand new central mosque, named the Masjid al-Siqaya on account of the large fountain with a marble basin in its courtyard. It cost nearly 60,000 gold dinars, and was completed sometime between 1121 and 1132. It was the largest mosque built in the Almoravid empire, with a rectangular base of 120 by 80 meters, and a minaret estimated to be thirty meters high. The rising citys layout was organized around it, and together with the neighboring souqs, it formed the center of early Marrakeshs city life. The nearby Koubba Baadiyn was one of the monumental ablution fountains connected to it. When the Almohads defeated the Almoravids and captured Marrakesh in April, 1147, the original mosque was deemed by the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mumin to have an orientation error and was promptly demolished. The Almohads erected a new reoriented central mosque on top of it. However, the Almohads were unable to eliminate its popular appellation, and it continued to be commonly known as "Ali ibn Yusufs mosque" . The Ben Youssef Mosque was refurbished around 1563, on the orders of the Saadian sharif Abdallah al-Ghalib. It was around this same time that the citys layout began to be changed, with new residential areas and souqs located further west, by the Koutoubia Mosque and the new al-Muwassin Mosque, shifting the center of gravity away from the old Ben Youssef mosque. Over the cleared space, the Saadians erected a great new theological college, the Ben Youssef Madrasa in 1563-64, just east of the mosque, thereby giving it a new life as the mosque of scholars. Having fall into ruin in the course of the 17th and 18th Centuries, it was almost completely rebuilt in early 19th Century by the Alaouite sultan Suleiman, with hardly any trace left of its original Amoravid or Almohad design. It continues to serve today as one of the most important mosques in Marrakesh. Traditionally, the qadi of the Ben Youssef Mosque has jurisdiction over all of Marrakesh, and even over outlying areas. It is not accessible to non-Muslim visitors.

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