Meknes

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.