Imperial cities of Morocco


The imperial cities of Morocco are the four historical capital cities of Morocco: Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes and Rabat.
Rabat is the current capital of Morocco.

Fez

Founded by Idris I between 789 and 808, the town of Fez was the capital city several times:
Marrakesh is considered a symbol of Morocco and the power of the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties. It was founded in 1071 and became the capital for the two following centuries.
Marrakesh was the capital city capital for:
Founded by the Alaouite sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif, who built its walls and made it his capital.

Rabat

Founded by the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur with the aim to make it his capital, the project was abandoned after he died and Marrakech remained the capital city.
In the 18th century, Rabat was designated as an Imperial city by the Alaouite sultan Muhammad ibn Abdallah, who built the Dar al-Makhzan palace, although he did not designate any city as his capital, moving continually between Rabat, Fez and Marrakech.