| Kasbah of Moulay Isma'il | |
|---|---|
| Native name Arabic: قصبة المولى إسماعيل | |
 The monumental entrance gates of the Kasbah: Bab al-Mansur (left) and Bab Jama' an-Nouar (right). | |
| Type | citadel, palace complex |
| Location | Meknes, Morocco |
| Coordinates | 33°52′59″N 5°33′30″W / 33.88306°N 5.55833°W |
| Founded | 1672 |
| Founder | Sultan Moulay Isma'il ibn Sharif |
| Built | 1672–1732, minor additions between 1757 and 1790 |
| Architectural style(s) | Moroccan |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 1996 |
| Part of | Historic City of Meknes |
| Reference no. | 793 |
| Region | Africa |
The Kasbah of Moulay Ismail is a vast palace complex and royal kasbah (citadel) built by the Moroccan sultan Moulay Isma'il ibn Sharif (also spelled "Ismail") in Meknes, Morocco. It is also known, among other names, as the Imperial City (French: Ville Impériale) or Palace of Moulay Ismail, or the Kasbah of Meknes.[1][2][3] It was built by Moulay Isma'il over the many decades of his reign between 1672 and 1727, when he made Meknes the capital of Morocco, and received occasional additions under later sultans.
In addition to Moulay Isma'il's own importance in the history of Morocco, his imperial palace in Meknes was notable for its vast scale and its complex infrastructure. The area covered by the kasbah was significantly larger than the old city of Meknes itself and operated as its own city with its own fortifications, water supply, food stockpiles, and troops. Historians later nicknamed it the "Moroccan Versailles".[4][3][5] Today, many of the buildings from Moulay Isma'il's era have disappeared or fallen into ruin, but some notable monumental structures remain. A part of the area, the Dar al-Makhzen, is still in use as an occasional royal residence of the King of Morocco, while other sections of the complex have been converted to other functions or replaced with general residential neighbourhoods.[4]
- ^ Barrucand, Marianne (1980). L'architecture de la Qasba de Moulay Ismaïl à Meknès.
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