Meknes - Meknes (English spelling)

A city in the interior of Morocco, North Africa. It is the capital of Meknes prefecture. It has a population of 530,171 (1994) and a total population of 685,408 (2014 estimate). It is located 120 km east of the capital Rabat, on a plateau at an altitude of 500 meters at the northern foot of the Middle Atlas Mountains, at the crossroads of transportation between the Mediterranean coast and the Atlantic coast, and between the Sahara and the coastal plain. It is a distribution center for products in a fertile agricultural region, and has modern industries such as food, textiles, and cement, as well as traditional industries such as leather goods and carpet manufacturing. It was built as a walled city during the Almoravid dynasty in the 11th century, but after the Almohad dynasty, it was a regional city that was not given much importance except during the Marinid dynasty. In the 1670s, the Alawite sultan Mulay Ismail made it his capital, built a magnificent royal palace, and was called the Versailles of Morocco. After 1728, the capital was moved to Fez and other cities, and the city fell into decline, but during the French colonial period, a military base was established there due to its strategic location. The old town, known as Medina, is home to the magnificent Gate of Mansour, the ruins of Ismaili's palace, the current royal palace, a mosque, and a seminary, and is visited by many foreign tourists. The ancient city of Meknes was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1996.

[Hiroshi Fujii]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

北アフリカ、モロッコ内陸部の都市。メクネス県の県都。人口53万0171（1994）、市域の人口68万5408（2014推計）。首都ラバトの東120キロメートル、中アトラス山脈北麓(ほくろく)の標高500メートルの高原上にあり、地中海岸と大西洋岸、サハラと海岸平野とを結ぶ交通の十字路に位置する。肥沃(ひよく)な農業地域における産物の集散地で、食品、繊維、セメントなどの近代工業と、皮革品、じゅうたん製造などの伝統工業がある。11世紀、ムラービト王朝時代に城郭都市として建設されたが、ムワッヒド王朝以後はマリーン王朝時代を除き、重視されることのない地方都市であった。1670年代に、アラウィ朝のスルタンのムライ・イスマーイールが首都とし、豪壮な王宮を建てモロッコのベルサイユとよばれた。1728年以降首都がフェズなどに移って衰退したが、フランス植民地時代にはその戦略的位置から軍事基地が置かれた。メディナとよばれる旧市街に、華麗なマンスール門、イスマーイール王宮跡、現王宮、モスク、神学校などがあり、外国人観光客も多数訪れる。古都メクネスは1996年世界遺産の文化遺産（世界文化遺産）に登録された。

［藤井宏志］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例