Meknes
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| State Party |  Morocco |
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| Type | Cultural | |
| Criteria | iv | |
| Identification | #793 | |
| Region2 | Arab States | |
| Inscription History | ||
| Formal Inscription: | 1996 20th WH Committee Session |
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| WH link: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/793 | |
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1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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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. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672 – 1727), before it was relocated to Rabat. The population is 536,322 (2004 census). It is the capital of the Meknès-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.
[edit] See also
Neighboring cities: Azrou (cedar region, fish growing, famous "College d'Azrou" where many members of the post-independence elite came from) and Ifrane (Akhawayne University): www.oulamine.com
[edit] External links
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