Tourist Morocco: The City of Marrakech

Tourist Morocco: The City of Marrakech

Blog Tourist Morocco: The City of Marrakech

Marrakesh nicknamed the Red City or the ocher city, is a city located in the center of Morocco, in the interior, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains.

The nickname of the red city refers to the red color of a large part of its buildings and houses. The city was founded in 1071 by Youssef Ibn Tashfin as-Sanhaji, at the head of the Berber Empire of the Almoravids.

In the past, Morocco was known in the East as Marrakech (still relevant in Iran); the name Morocco comes from the deformation of the Portuguese pronunciation of Marrakech: Marrocos. Marrakech has 928,850 inhabitants, according to the 2014 census, spread over an area of ​​230 km2.

The population density reaches 350 inhabitants per hectare in the Medina. It is the fourth largest city in Morocco after Casablanca, Fez and Tangier.

The city is divided into two distinct parts: the historic city (ten kilometers from the city wall) and the new city whose main districts are called Guéliz and Hivernage, Douar Askar, Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, Mouhamid, Daoudiat. Guéliz is now the commercial downtown. It was founded by the French during the Protectorate.

The district of Hivernage concentrates many hotel complexes. In recent years, the city has expanded on the outskirts, especially in the west with the emergence of new residential neighborhoods such as for the Targa region or the extension of Avenue Mohammed VI, or north Tamansourt (Wikipedia) .

Source: Morocco Universe & Amazing Places on Our Planet