THE TAZA CITY

              

     Taza is a city in Morocco that occupies the  corridor between the Rif and the Middle Atlas.  It is located at an altitude of 550 m.  This small town is rich in historical events.  The remains of ancient civilizations, such as stone axes, flint, ruins of bridges, tombs and necropolis, make it possible to affirm that Taza counts among the oldest inhabited places of the north of Africa.  Taza developed around the fortified convent built by the Berbers.  Its strategic position between the Rif and Atlas has made it a military stronghold coveted by people from the east, eager to conquer Moroccan lands.  Taza has passed in turn to the dynasties that ruled Morocco.  According to tradition, the city would have been for a long time, for the Berber populations of the Atlas, a kind of advanced citadel against invasions.  Its pre-contemporary history dates back to the Idrissid dynasty.  Proclaimed Khalifa, Idriss first submits to his obedience the tribes settled between Volubilis and the threshold of Taza.  It was at this time that the Ribat de Taza was founded by the Rhiatas, Meknassa and M'talssa and later by the Almoravids and the Almohads.  It is the Sultan Abdelmoumen who made at this time of this city one of the first places of Morocco.  The city of Taza is rich in historical monuments.  This little pearl is made up of the old city and the new city.  The main artery of the old city also called Taza High is animated by the Grain Market and the souks where are sold mats, carpets, jewels, and all kinds of Berber handicrafts made in the mountains.  It ends with a plaza at the bottom of which rises the Andalusian mosque, whose minaret built in the twelfth century is wider in its upper part than at its base.  In addition to the street Bab El-Qebbour crossing the kissaria, then leads to the mosque of the Market where she joined Bab Jamaa, the main entrance of Taza.  Further south, opposite Bab El-Rih, the wind gate, a bastion of the 16th century, closes the Kasbah.  The walls of Taza, built in the twelfth century and several times reinforced, were endowed in the sixteenth century by the Saadian Ahmed El-Mansour a borj of 26 m side, whose harrow door and casemates with terraces testify to  a clear European influence.  As for the new city called Taza Bas is founded in 1920, shifted in altitude compared to the medina (Taza high).  It is a modern city, large boulevards with separate carriageways and many buildings under construction.  A changing city.  Around Taza, there are some exceptional places.  The first place to visit is the famous Tazekka.  Established in 1950 on an area of ​​680 hectares, Tazekka National Park's main objective was to protect the natural resources of Jbel Tazekka, a prominent 1980m high that dominates the area.  After the Tazekka National Park, there is the Friouato Chasm.  It is one of the most important chasms of the region.  Speleologists and adventurers will admire the scale and wonders of its many rooms, which complement these diverse natural landscapes of Tazekka National Park.  Beside these wonders, there is Jbel Bouiblane which is covered with snow for at least six months a year.  This is without a doubt the most snow-covered region of our country, in terms of duration and quantity of snow.  And 13 kilometers from Taza, we will not miss to mention the waterfalls of Ras-El-Ma.  Also called Ras-El-Oued, this attractive area is characterized by the presence of mountainous reliefs (1100 m altitude), a source of water, a wadi, waterfalls, forests and caves.  It is part of a tourist circuit encompassing several tourist sites: Sidi Majbeur, Bab Boudir, Maghraoua, Bab Azhar, Bouiblane etc, and finally 30 km from Taza, you will find Bab-Boudir.  This center is classified as built cultural heritage.  It is part of the Tazekka National Park.

by:Mouad Berramdane