Meknes (Alaouite capital)

Timeline

1. 1672–1678Meknes · MeknesAfter Moulay Rachid died in 1672, Ismail became sultan and immediately chose Meknes, which he knew well, over Fez or Marrakesh as the new capital, and began demolishing the old kasbah. Place El Hedim takes its name from the rubble heaped there at the time. The Lalla Aouda mosque was rebuilt between 1672 and 1678 on the scale of the palace-city's main mosque. The establishment of the capital and the start of palace-city construction proceeded together, marking the northward shift of Alaouite power to the edge of the Saiss plain.
2. 1678–1700Moulay Ismail Kasbah palace-city · MeknesIsmail continuously expanded the palace-city using hired craftsmen and slave labor: multi-story palaces, Agdal gardens, hydraulic systems, and the giant granaries and stables around Heri es-Souani. Monumental gates such as the western Bab el-Khemis were completed around 1687. Jews were relocated into a new mellah near the kasbah. The scale of the works made Meknes renowned among contemporary Maghrebi capitals for its storage and defensive infrastructure.
3. 1690–1727Meknes · MeknesThe Black Guard was stationed in the capital, with kasbahs also set up in districts such as Haddadine and Tizimi to quarter troops and control the citizenry. Meknes was simultaneously the administrative hub where the sultan received envoys and stockpiled grain and horses, supporting his centralization over the tribes and the old capitals. Ismail died in 1727, his sons contested the throne, the Black Guard intervened in depositions and accessions, Meknes lost its status as sole capital, and the palace-city gradually fell into disrepair. The "Alaouite capital" phase defined by this entry ends here.