Mehdia
| Mehdia المهدية ⵎⵀⴷⵉⵢⴰ |
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| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
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| Region : | Rabat-Salé-Kénitra | ||||
| Province : | Kénitra | ||||
| Coordinates | 34 ° 15 ′ N , 6 ° 40 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 28,636 (2014) | ||||
| Area : | 12.1 km² | ||||
| Population density : | 2,367 inhabitants per km² | ||||
| Height : | 30 m | ||||
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Mehdia (also Mahdia or Mehdiya ; Arabic المهدية, Zentralatlas-Tamazight ⵎⵀⴷⵉⵢⴰ ) is a Moroccan coastal city on the Atlantic with about 30,000 inhabitants in the province of Kenitra in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region .
Location and climate
Mehdia is a good 10 km (driving distance) west of the provincial capital Kenitra and approx. 45 km northeast of Rabat at the mouth of the Oued Sebou in the Atlantic Ocean at a height of approx. 5 to 40 m . The climate is temperate to warm and is largely influenced by the sea; Rain (approx. 570 mm / year) falls almost exclusively in the winter half-year.
population
| year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
| Residents | 5,905 | 16,262 | 28,636 |
A large part of today's population is of Berber descent and has immigrated from the mountain and desert regions of Morocco since the 1960s. But some wealthy families have also settled here or built holiday homes .
economy
Mehdia was a small fishing village until the beginning of the 20th century ; Since then, the place has developed into a manageable vacation spot and offers everything necessary for locals and tourists.
history
It is believed that the Phoenicians as early as the 5th century BC Founded a trading center called Thymiaterion here , but so far - as well as from Roman times - corresponding archaeological findings are missing. In the 12th century who used Caliph Abd al-Mu'min (r. 1130-1163) to accommodate the ship from oak logs from the nearby Mamora forest. His indirect successor Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb al-Mansūr (r. 1184–1199) had a fortress ( kasbah ) built above the Sebou estuary . The Portuguese , first recorded here in 1515 , were only able to hold out for a few years. Then the place developed into a pirate base , which was taken in 1614 by the Spaniards , who were able to settle here until 1681; This year the conquered Alawite - Sultan Moulay Ismail (ruled 1672-1727.) back to the city.
Attractions
- The beaches, the promenade and the cityscape are well worth seeing.
- The most important historical monument are the ruins of the Almohad fortress with its imposing reconstructed gate .
