"Marrakech" Morocco Favorite Tip by traveldave

Favorite thing: Perhaps the most exotic city in Morocco is Marrakech. Nicknamed the "Red City" because of the red stone used in the construction of its historic buildings, it is the most visited city in Morocco. Travelers are drawn to Marrakech by the Djemmaa el Fna, the Koutoubia Mosque, the Menara Gardens, the souq (which is the largest in Morocco), and the fascinating mix of Berber and Arabic cultures. Most travelers I met considered a visit to this city a highlight of their trips.

Marrakech was founded in 1060 by the Almoravids, fanatic religious nomads from what is now Western Sahara. Its founder was the Almoravid sultan Abu-Bakr ibn Umar, who wanted to move his capital from the nearby city of Aghmat. He chose the site, a plain near the Tensift River, because it was a neutral area between the territories of two tribes vying for the honor of hosting the new capital. Marrakech was the first capital of a united Morocco in the eleventh century.

Marrakech's name probably derives from either mur-n-akush, which is Amazigh for "land of god" or marra kouch, or "land of the Kouch", a nomadic warrior tribe from Mauretania.

The golden age of Marrakech occurred under the rule of Yacoub al-Mansour, a period when the city had become the economic, political, intellectual, and military center of Morocco. It was during this time that the Koutoubia Mosque and Menara Gardens were built, poets and scholars moved into the city and brought about an intellectual renaissance, and the economy flourished from trade. Marrakech was one of the most important destinations for traders arriving from Timbuktu across the Sahara Desert with gold, salt (worth as much as gold at the time), and slaves.

Marrakech remained the capital of Morocco until 1258, when the capital was moved to Fez. This was because the caravan routes had shifted, and Marrakech had gone into a steady economic decline. The city had also lost a large portion of its population as well. But in 1554, Marrakech again became the capital of the country under the Saadian Dynasty.

Nowadays, although no longer the national capital, Marrakech is the largest city in southern Morocco, with about 1,700,000 inhabitants. It is also the most economically and politically important city in the region.