Marrakech

The history of Marrakech

Morocco has originally its name from Marrakech. In the old Arabic chronicles Marrakech is named Mraksch ("the town"). The name has been changed over the decades to Morocco and would taken as name for the whole country.

Marrakech, called also the red town, because of the red wall surround the old town, the medina.

First Marrakech was just an resting-place for the caravans, but the leader of the Almoravids Abou Bekr recognized, that this place is a fantastic place for his troops. His cousin Youssuf Ibn Taschfin constructed the first mosque and the first houses.
In 1062.He also is responsible for the great palm groves (Palmeraie), which can be still admired today in the northeast of the town.

This was starting-point to conquer the whole country just to Andalusia. Marrakech became his capital town of his empire.

The town is built little by little by the Almoravids (under Ali Ihn Yousuf), by the Almohads (under Abd el Moumen, in the 12century) and extended by Abou Yakoub Youssuff and Yakoub el Mansour. Just the 9km long red earth wall is preserved from the Almoravid Empire

The following sultans destructed the palaces of their predecessors, there are only some monuments of the Almohad Empire. So the gates of the town and the popular Minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque are their heritage.

Until the decline of the Almohad empire Marrakech rested the capital. But the following dynasty of the Merenids rested just a little while in the town and chase Fes to their capital.

In the Saadian Empire under the reign of Ahmed El Arj Marrakech became again capital in the 16. century. The Saadians constructed a lot of buildings, like the wonderful Saadian tombs, which are still preserved. The Saadian tombs are redeveloped in 1917, because the main entrance was bricked up by an order of the Sultan of the Alaouits Moulay Ismail

Just the Bahia-Palace is preserved of the Alouit Empire. But this palace gives an excellent impression of the luxury life of the then sultans.

After the French invasion in 1917 Morocco was governed by the Pasha EL Glaoui, who was near to the France. He got a lot of advantages because of the cooperation with them. With French help he was victorious over the revolts of the Berber tribes. He became one of the richest and influential men of Morocco.

As 1956 King Mohammed V. ascended the throne, his power was terminated. Three years later he died and the state confiscated his fortune. The Pasha constructed a lot of buildings, for example the Dar Glaoui in Telouèt, where the ancestral place of Glapui-Family was. Here you can get a stunning impression of the former power of the Pasha.