El Hajeb ( ar, الحاجب, al-Ḥājib; ) is a city located in the
Fès-Meknès
Fès-Meknès or Fez-Meknes ( ar, فاس-مكناس, fās maknās; ber, ⴼⴰⵙ-ⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, fas mknas) is among the twelve Regions of Morocco. It has a population of 4,236,892 (2014 census). Its capital is Fez. Its current president is M ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. It is the capital of
El Hajeb Province and had a population of 27,132 in 2004.
2004 Morocco Population census
/ref> El Hajeb is located on the P21 road which can take visitors to Azrou
Azrou (Berber: Aẓro, ⴰⵥⵔⵓ, Arabic: أزرو) (meaning “rock” or “stone”) is a Moroccan town 89 kilometres south of Fez in Ifrane Province of the Fès-Meknès region.
Geography
The market town of Azrou is located at a strategi ...
and Ifrane
Ifrane ( Berber: ⵉⴼⵔⴰⵏ; ar, إفران) is a city in the Middle Atlas region of northern Morocco (population 14,659 as of November 2014). The capital of Ifrane Province in the region of Fès-Meknès, Ifrane is located at an elevation of ...
.[ Most of the natives of the town are descendants of the ]Zayanes
Zayanes ( ber, Azayi (singular), (plural); ) are a Berber population inhabiting the Khenifra region, located in the central Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco.
Zayanes tribes are known for their attachment to ancestral land and for their tena ...
, a Berber people
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber flag, Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, p ...
.
History
El Hajeb was historically an important military base. A kasbah built by Mulay Hassan can be visited in ruins today.ISIL
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
recruitment cell, with 8 ISIL fighters in operation of it, was raided by Moroccan authorities. The cell was transporting Moroccan recruits to Syria and Iraq for training, and had operations in El Hajeb, Meknes
Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...
, and El-Hoceima.
Geography
El Hajeb is located in the foothills of the Middle Atlas
The Middle Atlas (Amazigh: ⴰⵟⵍⴰⵙ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵙ, ''Atlas Anammas'', Arabic: الأطلس المتوسط, ''al-Aṭlas al-Mutawassiṭ'') is a mountain range in Morocco. It is part of the Atlas mountain range, a mountainous region ...
mountain range, and is about from Meknes
Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...
.
Economy
El Hajeb's economy is led by agriculture, with its nearby vineyards,USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
, and it is expected to operate until around 2027.
Culture
There is a vineyard between El Hajeb and Boufakrane, the grapes of which are used to produce a wine called Les Celliers des Meknes. The architecture of the houses of El Hajeb is cube-like.
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in El Hajeb Province
Municipalities of Morocco
El Hajeb