Date post: | 06-Jan-2017 |
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The Place El-Hedime, located exactly between the old town and the Imperial part of the city, houses the covered market and becomes busy at dusk: fire-swallowers, jugglers ….
Originally known as “Meknassa al-Zitoun” (“Meknes of the olives”), Meknes was founded in the 10th Century by members of the Berber “Meknassa” tribe, but became famous when it was chosen by the Emperor Moulay Ismail to be his Imperial capital in 1672. Compared to his contemporary, Louis XIV of France, due to his reputation as a warrior king and his love of grandeur in general, he made it his life’s mission to transform Meknes into the “Versailles of Morocco”. Dominating the southern end of El-Hedim square the monumental gateway of Bab Mansour, the crowning jewel of Moulay Ismail’s architectural legacy, commissioned by him but finished in 1732 during his son’s reign. Intricately decorated with richly coloured tiles and flanked by two bastions supported in part by columns plundered from Volubilis, it marks the entrance to the vast precincts of the imperial court
The Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. Moulay Ismaïl Ibn Sharif, also known as the “Warrior King”, was the ruler of Moroccan Alaouite dynasty
The Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail in Meknes is the final resting place of one of Morocco's most notorious sultans
Following the death of Moulay
Ismail, his city fell into ruin, but the
20th century brought
restoration and rejuvenation
Designed by Sultan Moulay
Ismail, the Lahdim square
served as a space to celebrate parties, organize
demonstrations of all kind,
mainly military. The square was
also used for religious,
cultural, and political
gatherings, and in normal days was used as a
large souk
The Place El-HedimeMorocco has made significant strides in education over the past decades. The Government allocates about 26% of its annual budget for education.
At the entrance to the medina is Place el Hedim, a popular meeting place, with fancy street lamps, food stalls, fountains and a mock-Andalusian arcade housing shops and cafés
Place Hedim, the main square in
the old part of the city. Lahdim
square is also famous by Bab Mansour, the largest gate in
Africa that connects the
square with other parts of the old
medina
The architect was a Christian
convert to Islam named Mansour Laalej (whose
name translates to “victorious
renegade”) who sought to ascend
in the sultan’s court. His name also contributed to the name of
the gate (mansour means
“victorious” in Arabic)The wooden gateway is16m tall and 8m wide
The wooden gateway is not in use anymore but visitors can use a smaller side door to enter the medina
Sound: Cheb Khaled 2016
Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu Internet slide2,3Copyright: All the images belong to their authors
Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela