Morocco is a land that offers full immersion in history and culture, so if you love discovering how civilizations are born and how they evolve through cultural influences, you’re heading to the right country. One of the many reasons I recommend visiting Morocco is that it’s home to the so-called 4 imperial cities, now charming tourist destinations, but first and foremost witnesses to the country’s political and cultural history.
The history of Morocco’s 4 imperial cities
Morocco’s imperial cities are Fez, Marrakech, Meknes and Rabat, so called because over the centuries they were chosen as capitals, and as royal residences, by the various dynasties that ruled the country. Depending on the vision of the kingdom each dynasty wanted to project, the ambitions of its rulers and the balance of power, one or another of the four cities was chosen, making each imperial city a book in which a different chapter of Moroccan history was written.
Every new dynasty that came to power seized the chance to leave its mark on history and make its reign memorable, by founding new cities or turning a city into the capital. It’s thanks to this mix of political, geographical and symbolic choices that Morocco today has an architectural, historical and cultural heritage that makes it a mosaic of eras and civilizations.
The first imperial city to “earn the title” was Fez, founded in 789 by Idris I, the ruler considered the founder of the first independent Islamic state in Morocco. On reaching the western Maghreb, specifically the Volubilis region, he was recognized by the Berber Awraba tribe as their political and spiritual leader.
Because of its strategic position, Fez was a perfect crossroads of cultures, trade and learning. In the following centuries it was chosen as capital by other dynasties, such as the Marinids and the Alaouites, who confirmed it as Morocco’s religious and intellectual center. Walking through its medina, you can still feel the medieval charm that has always defined the city.
Jump ahead a few centuries to 1071, when the Almoravids founded Marrakech in the heart of southern Morocco. Today its red walls, the lively atmosphere of its souks and some of the country’s most beautiful Islamic architecture make it one of Morocco’s most visited cities, and these were probably also among the reasons later dynasties, the Almohads and the Saadians, chose it as their capital.
But the main reason was that the city sat at the junction between the Saharan caravan routes and the Mediterranean, making it well suited to represent the empire’s military and commercial strength.
With Meknes chosen as imperial capital in the 17th century by Sultan Moulay Ismail of the Alaouite dynasty, power got a makeover. The sultan had the city rebuilt into a royal city inspired by Versailles, which is why it’s also known as the Versailles of Morocco. So began the construction of monumental walls, elegant palaces, mosques and huge granaries, meant to assert his authority and leave a lasting mark of his reign. All the majesty and elegance Meknes enjoyed at the time is still tangible today.
The youngest of the imperial cities, and Morocco’s current capital, is Rabat, the country’s modern, administrative face. Founded around the 12th century by the Almohads, who built a large fortress there (a ribat, which gave the city its name), Rabat had to wait until modern times to become the capital: first under the French protectorate and then, in 1956, under the independent kingdom.
This is just a summary of the long history behind Morocco’s imperial cities, but I’ll save the long version for my tours, which of course stop in all of them. Before I go, though, let me tempt you with a few fun facts about the four imperial cities, some of the many pieces that make up the nation’s history.
Fun facts about Morocco’s 4 imperial cities
When I talk about Fez, one of the first things I like to point out is that there are no cars in its medina. The Fez medina is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, and that alone makes visiting the city a relaxing and truly memorable experience.
But what makes the people of Fez proudest, more than the absence of traffic, is the art of leatherworking. The tanners of Fez still use traditional medieval techniques to dye leather in the tanneries, and watching them at work is worth the trip alone.
Culture and feminism lovers will be interested to know that Fez is home to Al-Qarawiyyin University, founded in 859 by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri, and considered the oldest university in the world still in operation.
As for Marrakech, the most important fun fact concerns its central and most famous square, Jemaa el-Fna, which in 2001 was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO’s attention was drawn by the very people who lived the square every day and were worried that economic development might threaten its traditional storytellers, musicians, dancers, street performers, fakirs and snake charmers, who give the square its authenticity and charm. Thanks to UNESCO recognition, these traditions have been protected for decades, along with places so important to popular and traditional culture.
It’s also interesting to know that the city’s name comes from a Berber term meaning “Land of God”, and that its nickname, the Red City, comes from the ochre color of its walls, built with locally sourced red earth.
Meknes owes much of its splendor to the ruin of other places: Sultan Moulay Ismail plundered ancient Roman ruins and the palaces of earlier imperial capitals to embellish his new capital. But he also built from scratch, like the more than 20 monumental gates and 40 km (25 miles) of fortified walls.
If you love horses, you’ll be interested to know that the royal stables of Meknes housed around 12,000 horses.
Rabat is home to the Hassan Tower, built to become the tallest minaret in the 12th-century Islamic world. Unfortunately, it was never completed.
Also worth mentioning is Rabat’s “victory” over neighboring Salé, once home to Berber pirates and considered its rival for the title of imperial city, since they share the same outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.
Lisa
