Rabat and Sale

Set more or less in the middle of Morocco's Atlantic coastline on the left bank of the mouth of Bou Regreg River, Rabat is Morocco's political and administrative capital and the official residence of the King. All ministries and embassies are located in Rabat.

Apart from its governmental activities, Rabat is one of the country's main industrial centres where, among other things, textiles, processed food, and building materials are manufactured.

The city contains several of Morocco's major educational institutions, including Mohammed V University, the National Conservatory of Music, Dance, and Dramatic Arts and institutes of agricultural, public administration and applied economics studies.

Rabat is also one of Morocco's many outstanding tourist attractions.

Facing Rabat, directly across the Bou Regreg River on its left bank, lies the town of Salé. Rabat and Salé are sister cities spanned by a bridge across the river which was constructed in 1957. Their combined population of around 2 million (1,761,391 as of 1982) makes Rabat/Salé the second-largest urban centre in Morocco after Casablanca.

Salé is an important port with numerous industries including fish canning, cork processing, ceramics, flour milling and carpet weaving.

Rabat was founded as an Arab army outpost in the 12th century and given the generic name for military encampment, Ribat, which is still in use today.

The origins of Salé are less clear. According to some traditions, Salé was founded by Moulay Idris I at the end of the 8th century. Other traditions have it that the settlement was started by Moulay Idris II at the beginning of the 9th century. However, most historians believe that Salé was most likely first established as a tiny short-lived principality of the Berber Bani Ifrans tribe led by Amir Abou Al Kemal Temin which, within a few years was overrun and destroyed by the Almoravids.

For centuries Rabat and Salé were rival principalities but eventually Rabat began to dominate the area and Salé's power was ultimately eclipsed altogether by its larger neighbour.

Rabat became one of Morocco's four Imperial Cities. In the 12th century the great Almohad conqueror Yacoub Al Mansour made Rabat the symbol of his supremacy.

The city was developed in the 13th century by the Merinids who made it the site of the Chellah necropolis which was built upon the remains of the ancient Roman town of Sala. In the early 17th century it became a centre of anti-European piracy centred at the stronghold of the Kasbah des Oudaias.

Rabat was first made a modern capital in 1912 by Morocco's French overlords and remained the nation's capital after independence in 1956 and the residence of the royal family.

Fez/Fes/Fas

The most ravishing and mystical of Morocco's imperial cities, Fez was founded in 808 A.D. by the great Moroccan ruler saint Moulay Idris II. When he was about to begin construction he lifted his hands to the heavens and prayed for the city and its inhabitants with the following words:

"Almighty God, make of it a house of knowledge and of legal science, so that in it Your Book may always be read and Your laws always observed. Let its inhabitants hold fast to the Book [the Holy Qur'an] and the Sunna [the practice of the Prophet Muhammad], as long as You shall preserve it."

Fez became the capital and spiritual centre of Morocco and the supplication of its founder was realized for a thousand years thereafter.

The city is situated in a narrow valley against the backdrop of the Middle Atlas and positioned on the old crossroads of caravan routes connecting the Saharan empires like Timbuktu and Takrur with the Atlantic and the Mediterranean shipping lanes. Fez remained a commercial centre for much of its history.

It is still considered Morocco's premier religious city by virtue of its great Islamic traditions. It is the site of Qarawiyyin Mosque (the largest mosque in North Africa) and Qarawiyyin Madrasah, and is also the burial place of Moulay Idris II.

Apart from the European town built after World War II, Fez is divided into two distinct areas: Fez el Jdid (the new) and Fez el Bali (the old).

Textile and flour mills, oil-processing plants, tanneries, soap factories, and a large handicraft industry all can be found within the city of Fez.

Many people have moved from the older imperial city to the modern suburbs but the ancient city is powerfully compelling and it remains one of the world's great architectural treasures.

The Mosque and Tomb of Moulay Idris II

Considered one of the most sacred places in all of Morocco, the tomb of Moulay Idris II is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from throughout Morocco and beyond. The atmospheric interiors are richly ornamented.

Non-Muslims may not enter or even draw near the entrance.

Qarawiyyin Mosque

One of the largest mosques in Africa, the Qarawiyyin Mosque is also one of the world's most beautiful places of worship.

For over a thousand years great Muslim saints and scholars have congregated in its ornamental courtyard. It remains one of the most majestic monuments of Islam.

Marrakech/Marrakesh
Population: 1,517,000 (1990 est.)

An oasis set upon the fertile Haouz Plain at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains, Marrakech is the fourth of Morocco's Imperial Cities. Founded in 1062 as the capital of the Almoravide dynasty, it continued in the 12 century as capital of the Almohades.

The origins of the city's name have been argued over for centuries. The most current belief is that the name is of Berber derivation referring to "The Sons of Kutch" or "Land of the Sons of Kutch" which may well relate to the Biblical figure Kutch, son of Sham who lived in Upper Egypt, Ethiopia and southern Arabia.

Others believe Marrakech is derived from the Masmooda dialect meaning "Do not linger", a warning to travellers that the area prior to the establishment of the city was notorious for highwaymen.

Regardless of the origins of the word, Marrakech gave its name to the whole country of Morocco in all its many foreign versions -- Morocco, Maroc, Morokko, Marruecos, etc. All these names come from the Latin "Morroch" which derives from the medieval name for Marrakech.

The Almoravides made Marrakech the capital of an empire that covered most of the Magreb (North West Africa) and extended well into Europe. With the Almoravide conquest of Southern Spain, Marrakech was invested with the exquisite cosmopolitan culture of Andalucia. This cross-fertilization is rare indeed for a remote desert enclave.

Under the Almoravides Marrakech became a bastion of Islamic civilization and an intellectual centre where the most famous scholars and philosophers of the age converged. The power of the Almoravides also made Marrakech into a great commercial centre and wealth flowed into the city, further transforming its architecture. Lavish buildings were constructed and splendid gardens were designed. The ancient ramparts and gates of the city are monuments to the city's medieval pre-eminence.

Almohade armies stormed the gates of Marrakech on 23 March, 1147, conquering the Almoravide capital. The Almohades under Abdal Mou'min continued their conquest of North Africa, extending their empire through Algeria and Tunisia and moving across the Mediterranean to capture Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

Under Abdal Mou'min Marrakech became an even greater Islamic capital. Abdal Mou'min was a great builder and gave Marrakech its most spectacular landmark, the Minaret Al Kutubiyya with four walls, each face measuring 42ft, rising 226ft to the tip of a lantern turret. Masjid Al Kutubiyya is among the greatest works of North African architecture and is surrounded by beautiful gardens which continue to adorn the city today.

Marrakech went into a period of decline under the Merinids who captured the city in 1269. The Merinid capital was already centred in Fez and Marrakech fell into neglect for two and a half centuries.

The fortunes of Marrakech revived under the Saadian dynasty. The Saadians were tribesmen from the Souss region, who conquered the whole of Southern Morocco in a war against the Portuguese colonialist in Agadir.

When the Saadians gained control of the whole of Morocco their leader, Mohammed Al Mahdi, made Marrakech his capital in 1551 and began to restore the city. During this period Al Bedi palace was built which was considered one of the most spectacular architectural achievements of the century.

Moroccan crafts reached a high watermark during the Saadian period and many splendid palaces were built which bear witness to their exquisite artistry.

Marrakech also became known as a magnet for some of the greatest saints of Islam, many of whom are buried within the city.

In the 17th Sultan Moulay Ismail assigned Sheikh Al Hassan Al Youssi to choose seven Muslim saints buried in Marrakech to form a spiritual hierarchy for the city. The holy men chosen lived and died in Marrakech between the 12th and 16th centuries. They are Sidi Cadi Ayad, Sidi As-Soheyli, Sidi Yousef Ben Ali, Sidi Bel Abbis, Sidi Ben Sliman Al Jazouli, Sidi Abdal Aziz Tebba and Sidi Al Ghazwani.

Sheikh Al Hassan Al Youssi organized a kind of spiritual tour of their tombs which became known as the Visit of the Seven Men of Marrakech. This practice became a national religious institution, to the point where many Moroccans say "I am going to the Seven Men", meaning that they are travelling to Marrakech even though, except for the annual Moussem of the Seven Saints, the practice has now been largely abandoned.

Marrakech, like Fez, is a genuinely Islamic city in both its genesis and traditions. The modern city was constructed in 1913 during the French occupation of the country and reflects the European influence. But the essence of the city remains the same.

Throughout history the city has never failed to leave an indelible mark upon visitors. Sir Winston Churchill was particularly taken by Marrakech and, in his War Memoirs has left this evocative memorial to the southern Moroccan city:

"Here, surrounded by its extensive palm-groves that have sprung out of the desert, the traveller may rest assured that he will never tire of the majestic view of the snow-covered Atlas mountains. The sun is dazzling and warm, but never unbearably so; the air is sharp and refreshing, yet never unpleasantly cold; the days are perfect, the nights are cool.

"The local inhabitants, dressed in their burnooses of various colours and patterns, are themselves a permanent picture; every countryman is a possible painting, every crowd is a pictorial composition.

"Should anyone be seeking a warm sunny Winter, it is to be found in a truly unique setting here in Morocco."

Marrakech is a rail terminus for other parts of Morocco. Roads link the city with the north and with the Atlantic seaport of Safi.

Local industries relate to desert crops and include tanning and handicrafts. Marrakech is famous for its fine leather-work and desert carpets.

In the surrounding area lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum and graphite are mined.

Casablanca/Dar Beida

With an estimated population of 3,210,000, Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco. Sixty per cent of all Moroccan companies and almost every bank has headquarters here, making Casablanca the business capital of Morocco and one of the most important commercial centres in North Africa. As such, the city is also the centre for foreign trade and Morocco's main industrial centre where construction materials, furniture and glass products are manufactured.

Located near the capital city of Rabat, Casablanca is also the country's main Atlantic seaport with one of the world's largest man-made harbours featuring the 3,180 metre-long Moulay Youssef Jetty with fishing and fish-canning as the leading industries. The city is the site of Hassan II University, established in 1976.

The origins of Casablanca trace to the medieval town of Anfa set on a small plateau which is now one of the city's suburbs. Anfa became the capital of a Berber principality in the aftermath of the Arab invasions of the 7th and 8th centuries. The Berbers embraced Islam but quickly succumbed to heretical doctrines, setting up their own prophet and a "qur'an" in Berber language.

The principality was known as Berghouata and its tribal inhabitants joined a Kharijite rebellion against the Arab governor of Tangier.

In the 11th century the Almoravids waged holy war against these heretics who were finally defeated by the Almohad Sultan Abdul Mou'min.

The town came under the influence of the Merinids during the 13th century but eventually became independent as the dynasty weakened. It was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1468 in reprisal for piracy. They sent a fleet of 50 vessels and 10,000 soldiers to occupy the town which was sacked and then abandoned. But piracy soon revived and the Portuguese returned in 1515 and destroyed the town once again.

In 1575 the town was rebuilt, fortified and renamed Casa Branca by the Portuguese in an attempt to establish control over the area. However, the Portuguese rulers fell under constant attack by surrounding Muslim tribes and were finally forced to abandon the town following a terrible earthquake in 1755.

Under the reign of Sidi Mohamed ben Abdallah (1757-1790) the town was rebuilt with a mosque, madrasah, hammam and a fort and renamed Dar Al Beida (The White House) which the Spanish eventually translated to Casablanca after trade became well established with merchants from Cadiz and Madrid.

After a rebellion led by the caid of Dar Al Beida zawiyya, Sultan Moulay Sliman closed the port and diverted all trading with Europe to Rabat.

In 1830 Sultan Moulay Abdal Rahman re-opened Dar Al Beida harbour but business remained sluggish for some time and the city remained small with a population of no more than 600.

Birth of the modern city

It wasn't until the mid-19th century that Casablanca began to grow as a result of regular sea traffic between Europe and Morocco. European textile manufacturers needed new sources of raw materials, and French merchants arrived to negotiate the purchase of Moroccan cereals.

Commercial relations between Casablanca and Europe became stronger with the development of the city's harbour facilities and the establishment of regular maritime services between Morocco and Marseilles. French influence in Morocco increased throughout the remainder of the 19th century.

In 1906 construction began on a modern harbour facility for Casablanca under French supervision, but on 30 July 1907 nine workmen were massacred and the French consulate was besieged. The French government sent in an expeditionary force and occupied the city.

In 1912 General Lyautey was appointed Resident-General and completed the construction of the harbour, making Casablanca the country's economic centre. As a result the city grew into the country's major metropolitan centre until independence in 1956.

Independence caused a temporary decline in Casablanca's fortunes but gradually the city regained its economic position as a powerhouse of North Africa.

Hassan II Mosque

One of the largest and most spectacular mosques in the world, the newly constructed Hassan II Mosque covers 2 hectares of land. It has a prayer hall that can accommodate 25,000 worshippers and a piazza that can accommodate another 80,000. It also has the world's tallest minaret, soaring 200m above the city.

The mosque is a monument to Moroccan craftsmanship, built by 3,300 craftsmen brought from throughout the country. These artisans installed 53,000 sq m of carved wood, 67,000 sq m of plastering and 10,000 sq m of sculpted ornamentation. The mosque also features a retractable roof which can transform the mosque interior into a vast open courtyard.