Marrakech: history, influences and celebrities

Marrakech is one of the largest cities of Morocco. An imperial city, the capital of southern Morocco, an example of economic and touristic vitality. Between the High Atlas and the desert, Marrakech is located in the center of Morocco.

Through the rule of successive dynasties, Marrakech has become a cultural city where art takes a prominent place and attracts numbers of celebrities...

History of Marrakech

Eleventh century: Birth of Marrakech

The Almoravids: Berber dynasty of the Sahara formed in 1048 traveling between Senegal and southern Morocco.

1062: Sultan Ben Youssef Almoravids Tachfine settles. To overcome the lack of water, wells were dug and palm trees planted using a clever system of irrigation, the rhettaras. The Sultan embellished and enlarged the city. Marrakech became a cultural, artistic, and economic crossroads where Arabs, Berbers, and mountain nomads met.

1086: Sultan Youssef Ben Tachfine conquered Spain with 15,000 men.

1106: Death of Sultan Youssef Ben Tachfine. The city reached its peak during the reign of Ali, his son. The Andalusian style began to appear in buildings.

The Almohades: Muslim dynasty of Berber origin who dominated North Africa and Spain from 1147 to 1269. Movement founded by Muhammad bin Tumart during the twelfth century in response to the Almoravids who they accused of abandoning the Koran and practiced excessive legalism.

1147: Arrival of the Almohad dynasty. Destruction and reconstruction of buildings in the Andalusian style. Construction of the Joutoubia mosque where the palace of the Almoravids stood.

The Merinids: Berber dynasty who reigned from 1244 to 1465.

1269: Marrakech conquered by Marinid Abou Youssef Yacoub and the Almohad Empire fell.

1279: The Merinids moved their capital to New Fez, near Fez. Marrakech entered a period of disorder and decline.

The Saadians: Dynasty of Arab descent who claimed a descendant of Muhammad. They went on a holy war against the Portuguese and allied with Spain to face the Turkish threat. (1511 - 1660)

Sixteenth century: Marrakech became the capital of the Saadians dynasty.

1578-1603: Reign of Ahmed el Mansour, nicknamed "The Golden" for his immense fortune, erected the El Badia Palace and Saâdiens Tombs.

Seventeenth century: The Alawite dynasty transferred the capital from Fez to Meknes, the new imperial city. Marrakech declined as an imperial city.

1873: Sultan Moulay Hassan was crowned in Marrakech and settled there. The city shined with new construction, several palaces: Dar el Beida, Dar Si Said and the wonderful remains of Bahia.

1912: French Protectorate

1955: Momhammed V returned from exile. The country gained independence.

Art in Marrakech

A historical and cultural crossroads, Marrakech reflects this diversity in artistic expression. Berber, Oriental and Moorish tinged with Mediterranean, Hellenic and Western Asian influences can be found in the architecture and the decoration of the city. Having inspired many European painters, Marrakech remains an important cultural center for artists, writers, architects, and designers... who blend Eastern and Western influences.

International Film Festival of Marrakech "FIFM" has become a major event every year in December.

The International Festival of Music of Marrakesh reunites musicians from various countries to celebrate music.

Famous Marrakech Visitors

Jacques Majorelle, French painter, settled in 1923 along the Palmeraie of Marrakech. In 1947 he opened a public park.

Winston Churchill, British politician, painted from the balcony of the Mamounia Hotel, where he had the habit of frequently visiting from 1944 to the 1950s.

Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer, arrived for the first time in Marrakech in 1966 with Pierre Berge. They buy "Dar El Hip" in the medina. 14 years later they bought the Majorelle gardens.

Alfred Hitchcock, American director, filmed in the souk of Marrakech scenes for "The Man Who Knew Too Much".

Marlene Dietrich, actress, set her movie "Hearts burned" in 1930.
  
Source: Wikipedia and the Regional Council of Tourism in Marrakech