SITIS'09
Venue
Marrakesh
- About Morocco
- About Marrakesh
- Transport
- Trips from Marrakech
- What to Visit
- Cuisine
About Morocco
Morocco, officially the kingdom of Morocco is located in the north of Africa , The five largest city are (Casablanca , Rabat , Marrakech , Agadir and Fes ),the capital is Rabat. It has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.
Climat
The climate is Mediterranean, which becomes more extreme towards the interior regions where it is mountainous. The terrain is such that the coastal plains are rich and accordingly, they comprise the backbone for agriculture. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land accounts for 18%.
Wildlife
Morocco is known for its wildlife biodiversity. Birds represent the most important faunaThe avifauna of Morocco includes a total of 454 species, of which five have been introduced by humans, and 156 are rare or accidental.(wikipedia)
Marrakesh
Marrakesh is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat . The name Morocco derived from the name of the city of Marrakesh, as the country was known to early travellers as Marrakesh. Prior to the advent of the Almoravids in the 11th century, the area was ruled from the city of Aghmat. The Almoravid leader, decided Aghmat was becoming overcrowded and chose to build a new capital. He decided to build it in the plains near the Tansift river. He chose the site of Marrakech, because it was in neutral territory between two tribes who were vying for the honor of hosting the new capital.
known as the "Red City", is an important city/medina in Morocco. It has a population of 1,036,500 (as of 2006), and is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz , near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.
Marrakech is the most visited city of Morocco, (about 2,000,000 visitor in 2008)
Transport
Menara International Airport serves as the main airport for the city and receives flights from Europe and neighboring Arab countries.
A toll-paying motorway connects Marrakech with Casablanca.
CTM coaches (intercity buses) and various private lines run services to most notable Moroccan towns as well as a number of European cities, from the Gare Routière on Rue Bab Doukkala in downtown Marrakech.
Marrakesh is the southern terminus of the ONCF, the Moroccan railway network, and Marrakesh is well served by trains heading to Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, and Fes. The train station is located on Avenue Hassan II.
The ONCF owned "Supratours" bus company serves towns not served by the train. The bus timetable coordinates with the train timetable and the bus terminal is right beside the station.
Trips from Marrakech
Many tourists take a trip from Marrakech to visit the valley of the Ourika River in the Atlas Mountains or the valley of the Draa River in the south near the Sahara desert, but also to Middle Atlas Mountains: Waterfalls of Beni Mellal, and to Essaouira on the Atlantic ocean.
What to visit in Marrakesh
Medina
Like the other oldest cities of morocco the médina of Marrakech abounds in richnesses and is also labyrinthian. A multitude of small souks there is found: Debbaghine, Chouari (wood basket makers and turners), Haddadines (ironworkers), Cherratines (saddlers), Nejjarines (carpenters).
Jamaâ El Fna
Jamaâ El Fna is a place located at Marrakech beside the Koutoubia mosque. This tourist high-place attracts unceasingly more then 1 million visitors come to attend the spectacles animated by the snake charmers, the adjusters of monkeys, the storytellers, the musicians and other artists popular (plays, drawing with henné, etc…) beginning of evening jusqu' with l' call of the prayer of l' paddle. The intensity of these spectacular and original activities pled in favour of the inscription of this place by UNESCO in 2001 as world oral Patrimoine, the first of the kind on a worldwide scale.
Madrassa Ben Youssef
The Ben Youssef Madrasa was an Islamic college in Marrakech and was named after the amoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf (reigned 1106–1142), who expanded the city and its influence considerably. The college was founded during the period of the Marinid (14th century) by the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hassan and allied to the neighbouring Ben Yousssef Mosque. The building of the madrasa, as it is now, was (re-)constructed by the Saadian Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib (1557–1574). It is the largest Medrasa in all of Morocco.
Saadian Tombs
The Saadian tombs in Marrakech date back from the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were only recently discovered (in 1917) and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. The tombs have, because of the beauty of their decoration, been a major attraction for visitors of Marrakech
El Badi Palace
El Badi Palace (meaning the incomparable palace) is located in Marrakech, Morocco, and it consists nowadays of the remnants of a magnificent palace built by the Saadian king Ahmad al-Mansur in 1578.The original building is thought to have consisted of 360 rooms, a courtyard of 135 m by 110 m and a pool of 90 m by 20 m, richly decorated with Italian marbles and large amounts of gold imported from Sudan.
Bahia Palace
It was built in the late 19th century, intended to be the greatest palace of its time. The name means 'brilliance'. As in other buildings of the period in other countries, it was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style. There is a 2 acre (8,000 m²) garden with rooms opening onto courtyards.
Menara Garden
It is a vast bored olive contains a gigantic basin dating from XIIe century (Almohades). A charming house going back to 1869 (Alaouites), is drawn up on the edge of the basin. it constitutes a beautiful sight with the reflection of the Atlas mountains on the surface of the basin.
Majorel Garden
The Majorelle garden: Create by the French painter Jacques Majorelle (1920 -1962), it abounds a fauna and an exuberant flora. This enchanter place was repurchased by the Yves Saint Laurent dressmaker.
Koutoubiya
The Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakech. The minaret was completed under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184-1199) and was used as model for the Giralda of Seville then for the Hassan Tower of Rabat.The name is derived from the Arabic al-Koutoubiyyin for librarian, since it used to be surrounded by sellers of manuscripts. It is considered the ultimate structure of its kind. The tower is 69 m (221 ft) in height and has a lateral length of 12.8 m (41 ft).
Cuisine and drinks
