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Meknes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Historic City of Meknes* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Morocco |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Reference | 793 |
| Region† | Arab States |
| Inscription History | |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672 – 1727), before it was relocated to Rabat. The population is 950,322 (2006 Estim.). It is the capital of the Meknes-Tafilalet region. Meknes is named after a Berber tribe which was known as Miknasa in the medieval Arabic sources.
The land upon which the city is founded and much of its surrounding territory came under the domination of the Roman Empire in 117 A.D. (see History of Morocco). The original community from which Meknes can be traced was an 8th century Kasbah, or fortress. A Berber tribe called the Miknasa settled there in the 10th century, and a town consequently grew around the fortress. Meknes saw its golden age as the imperial capital of Moulay Ismail following his accession to the Sultanate of Morocco.
Neighboring cities: Azrou (cedar region, fish growing, famous "College d'Azrou" where many members of the post-independence elite came from) and Ifrane (Al Akhawayn University). Volubilis (Oualili) is about half an hour to the north, a ruined Roman town.
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Archaeological Site of Volubilis · Historic City of Meknes · Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou · Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) · Medina of Fes el Bali · Medina of Marrakech · Medina of Tétouan (formerly known as Titawin) · Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida) |
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