Meknes (Arabic:
مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130
kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres
from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between
those two cities. Meknes was the capital of Morocco
under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672 – 1727),
before it relocated to Rabat. The population is
536,322 (2004 census).
The land upon which the city is
founded and much of its surrounding territory came
under the domination of the Roman empire in 117 A.D.
(see History of Morocco). The original
community from which Meknes can be traced was an 8th
century Kasbah, or fortress. A Berber tribe
called the Maknassa settled there in the 10th
century, and a town consequently grew around the
fortress. Meknes saw its golden age as the imperial
capital of Moulay Ismail following his accession to
the Sultanate of Morocco.
