Sidi Kacem
| Sidi Kacem سيدي قاسم ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵇⴰⵙⴰⵎ |
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| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
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| Region : | Rabat-Salé-Kénitra | ||||
| Province : | Sidi Kacem | ||||
| Coordinates | 34 ° 13 ′ N , 5 ° 42 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 74,062 (2004) | ||||
| Height : | 195 m | ||||
| City administration website : | |||||
Sidi Kacem ( Arabic سيدي قاسم; Central Atlas Tamazight ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵇⴰⵙⴰⵎ Sidi Qasam ) is a Moroccan town of about 85,000 inhabitants in the province of Sidi Kacem in the Region Rabat-Sale-Kénitra .
Location and climate
Sidi Kacem is located in the fertile northern hill country of Morocco at an altitude of about 200 m . This is where the roads intersect between the cities of Fès (approx. 93 km to the south-east) and Rabat (approx. 140 km south-west) and between Azrou or Meknès (approx. 113 and 46 km south) and Tangier (approx. 210 km north ). The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 525 mm / year) falls almost exclusively in the winter half-year.
population
| year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
| Residents | 67,622 | 74,062 | 75,672 |
Most of the inhabitants who immigrated from the surrounding villages in the second half of the 20th century are of Berber descent. However, Moroccan Arabic is usually spoken .
economy
In the surrounding villages, agriculture is practiced on a large scale; Animal husbandry (sheep, goats, chickens), on the other hand, has become rather rare. The city itself functions as a regional craft, trade and service center and offers the training facilities and health centers that are important for the region.
history
As is common in the Berber regions of the Maghreb , there are no written records of the earlier history of the place . At the beginning of the French protectorate (1912) the place of pilgrimage named after a marabout of the 16th century was only a village with a few inhabitants; it was renamed Petitjean in 1911 after a captain killed near Kenitra and was given a train station in 1927. The place gained its current importance under the French and especially after the independence of Morocco (1956).
Attractions
- Overall, the cityscape has a modern look.
- The tomb mosque ( zaouia ) of the Sufi saint Qasim is located a little above the city.