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The history of Marrakech is in itself the history of the rise and fall of Morocco's most important dynasties. These dynasties, from different Berber kingdoms formed the first Imperial rulers, with the Saadian dynasty establishing Islam in most parts of the country, and in a succession of many different rulers formed the modern Marrakech.
The city's original formation is disputed but it is believed to have been established between 1062 and 1070, initially as a fortified town and developed around a market space or some similar place where commodities were exchanged. Its founder, Youssef Bin Tachfine of the Almoravid dynasty, one of the two great Berber dynasties of the Middle Ages, was a military leader. Under his rule Morocco managed to defeat the Spanish in Andalucia to bring the South of Spain under Moroccan rule. During the rule of the Almoravids, Marrakech and Fes formed the basis of the empire, yet Marrakech remained the most important of the two. Youssef Bin Tachfine enhanced the city architecturally by bringing craftsmen and architects over from Spain (mainly Córdoba) to build new palaces and mosques, gradually the city acquired a new look.
Along with the architectural enhancements, a new irrigation system called khetara was invented, which provided the city and the neighboring palm grove with water via its underground channels. The city walls, which today give Marrakech its distinct character, are believed to have been erected in 1126 or '27. The famous walls, which are made of tabia, a red colored mud, gave Marrakech its other name, "The Red City."
After the period of the Almoravids, the Almohads seized power and reformed the city in 1145. Although the Almohads shared many values with their predecessors, their founder, Ibn Tourmit brought an even more puritanical rule to Marrakech that provoked a theological crisis. Despite national tensions, the Moroccan empire at the time stretched as far as Tripolitania, in Modern Libya. Throughout these times Marrakech remained the empire’s capital. During the Almohad's rule the Empire had a succession of three sultans. The last and most influential, Yacoub El Mansour the Victorious, led Marrakech into its greatest period of imperial wealth. Architecturally, he established a new Kasbah and the city’s cultural life was stimulated by the arrival of poets and scholars from far and wide. One of Mansour's longest and most important projects was the Koutoubia Mosque and minaret , still one of Marrakech's most significant landmarks.
The rule of both dynasties lasted no longer than a century. Owing to frequent civil wars, the Empire was slowly falling apart and by around 1220 many of the city’s most prolific buildings had been destroyed. The Merenids were the ruling dynasty between 1248 and 1554. They formed an independent kingdom, leaving Marrakech to its destiny under the rule of ineffective sultans. This was to be the last period of Berber rule, which ultimately ended in poverty and starvation. When the Saadians rehabilitated the devastated city in the early 16th century, they brought Islam to the Empire. In the Great Battle of the Three Kings, Ahmed El Mansour defeated the Portuguese who had occupied the Atlantic coast. This dynasty's first sultan had stretched the empire even further into Africa and therefore controlled some of the most prosperous caravan routes.
The new wealth of the empire allowed him the creation of the El Badi Palace, which still stands in the lower Medina of Marrakech. Unfortunately large parts of it were destroyed by Ismail, the second Sultan of the Alaouite dynasty. The Alaouites remain as the ruling dynasty to date, with its latest descendant being King Mohammed VI. Under the Alaouite rule, Marrakech remained the Imperial capital, although between the 17th and 19th centuries it was reduced to its former size.
During the French protectorate, Marrakech was ruled by the infamous Pasha Mhami El Glaoui. His palace has survived until the present day and stands as a testament to his excessive court life, (his dictum was "everything is possible, as long as it pleases me"), under an all overshadowing rule.
After independence the city changed internally, due to large immigration from the Atlas. Today, Marrakech is one of Morocco's largest trading centers, a close second to Casablanca, and internationally is probably Morocco's best known city, with great appeal to tourists and more permanent settlers. Recently, the city has revived its appeal as the European friendly, hip centre of Morocco and is in the process of swapping its former 'hippie' image for a more serious crowd of fashion designers, artists and politicians of the modern West.
E. Wellershaus
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