Larache ( ar, العرايش, al-'Araysh) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.
Many civilisations and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
s have influenced the
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
of Larache, starting in the ancient city of Lixus during the 12th centuryBCE. Between the period of being a strategic
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
town and then a Phoenician trading centre to Morocco's independence era around the 1950s, Larache was a nexus for many cultures.
History
In 1471, the Portuguese settlers from Asilah and Tangier drove the inhabitants out of Larache, and again it remained uninhabited until the Saadi SultanMohammed ash-Sheikh decided to repopulate it and build a stronghold on the plateau above river Loukos. He constructed a fortress at the entrance to the port as a means of controlling access to the river.
For a long time, attempts by the Portuguese, Spanish and French to take it met with no success. The Portuguese established the nearby Graciosa fortress in 1489. The Kasbah, which was built in 1491 by Moulay en Nasser, later became a pirate stronghold. In 1610, the town passed to the Spanish, who stayed there until 1689, but who mainly used the ports as trading stops and never really administered the town. Moulay Ismail finally conquered Larache in 1689 .
Attacks on Larache continued, but it still remained in Muslim hands. In 1765, a French fleet failed in the Larache expedition. In 1829, the Austrians punitively bombarded the city due to Moroccan piracy. Due to the colonisation era Spain took Larache in 1911 and held it for 45 years until 1956.
Lixus
Lixus is the site of an ancient city located in Morocco just north of the modern seaport of Larache on the bank of the Loukkos River. It was built by a Berber king in 1180 BC. Lixus was one of the Kingdom of Mauretania's ancient cities.
It was settled by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC. Lixus was part of a chain of Phoenician/Carthaginian settlements; other major settlements further to the south are Chellah and Mogador. When Carthage fell to Ancient Rome, Lixus, Chellah and Mogador were annexed to the Kingdom of Mauretania.
This ancient Mauritanian city gradually grew in importance, later coming under Carthaginian domination. After the destruction of Carthage, Lixus fell to Amazigh (Berber) control, reaching its zenith during the reign of the Mauritanian king Juba II.
Some ancient Greek writers located at Lixus the mythological garden of the Hesperides, the keepers of the golden apples. The name of the city which was often mentioned by writers from Hanno the Navigator to the Geographer of Ravenna and confirmed by the legend on its coins and by an inscription. The ancients believed this to be the site of the Garden of the Hesperides and of a sanctuary of Hercules, where Hercules gathered gold apples, more ancient than the one at Cadiz, Spain. However, there are no grounds for the claim that Lixus was founded at the end of the second millennium BC. Life was maintained there nevertheless until the Islamic conquest of North Africa by the presence of a mosque and a house with a patio with walls covered with painted stuccos.
Today
In the
2014 Moroccan census
The 2014 Moroccan census was held in Morocco between 1 September and 20 September 2014. The census was conducted by the High Planning Commission.Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Csa'') with heavy rainfall. The summers are moderately hot and sunny - ideal for the city's beaches - and the winters are wet and cool. The record high temperature of was registered on July 10, 2021.
Famous areas and places in Larache
* Lixus (Roman ruins)
*Port Lixus
*Plaza de España
*Oued Loukos ( Loukkos River)
*Charie Mohammed Al-Khamis (Boulevard Mohammed V)
*Storks Castle
*Boukharis House
*Torres Park
*Jardin of Lions
*The Conservatory of Music
*Kessba, Gebibat & Bab Behar (Old Medina)
*Port of Larache
*Dghoghi Houses
*Balcon Atlantico
*Grave of
Jean Genet
Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
Sidi Jilali bin Abd Allah El-Masbahi
''Sidi'' or ''Sayidi'', also Sayyidi and Sayeedi, ( ar, سيدي, Sayyīdī, Sīdī (dialectal) "milord") is an Arabic masculine title of respect. ''Sidi'' is used often to mean "saint" or "my master" in Maghrebi Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. Wit ...
, native of Saqiyat al-Hamar, is considered a saint of Larache.
*
Lalla Mennana El-Mesbahi (El-Masbahiya)
Lalla ( 720–790 CE) was an Indian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer who belonged to a family of astronomers. Lalla was the son of Trivikrama Bhatta and the grandson of Śâmba."Lalla." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. He liv ...
, his daughter, is also considered a saint and patroness of the city.
* Tayeb bin Mohamed bin Laarbi El-Mesbahi, The great-grandson of Lalla Mennana, who was in charge of her mausoleum and one of the most revered persons in the city.
*
Jean Genet
Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
lived for several years and had requested to be buried there. His grave is in the Spanish cemetery of Larache.
*
Amina Filali
On 10 March 2012, Amina El Filali (sometimes also referred to as Amina Filali) (1996–2012), a 16-year-old girl from Larache, Morocco, committed suicide by taking rat poison, after she was forced by her family to marry a man who had raped her when ...
, whose suicide in 2012 sparked a political debate on women's rights and article 475 of the Moroccan penal code.
*
Juan Goytisolo
Juan Goytisolo Gay (6 January 1931 – 4 June 2017) was a Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist. He lived in Marrakesh from 1997 until his death in 2017.
He was considered Spain's greatest living writer at the beginning of the 21st century, yet ...
, Spanish novelist, is buried in the Spanish cemetery of Larache.
Gallery
File:Larache Plaza de Espana.jpg, Plaza de España
File:Larache Medina.jpg, Bab Behar or Old Medina
File:Larache Fortress.jpg, Larache Fortress
File:Larache seafront.jpg, Balcon Atlantico
File:Larache Souk.jpg, Larache Souk
File:Larache Music Academy.jpg, Larache Music Academy
File:Larache Spanish Consulate.jpg, Spanish Consulate
File:Larache Iglesia Pilar.jpg, Iglesia Pilar
File:Larache - Oued Loukous.jpg, Oued Loukous
File:Larache, sur la côte Atlantique (14346666832).jpg, Larache and the Atlantic Ocean
Chabab Larache
Chabab Al Araich, also called Chabab Larache is a Moroccan football club currently playing in the fourth division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (a ...