MEQUINEZ, or MEctuiNns, the principal city in the province Fez, and the northern capital of the em pire of Morocco, is situated in 12' North Latitude, and about 5° 30' West Longitude. It stands in a beau tiful valley, about 60 miles eastward front Salee, sur rounded by gentle eminences and highly cultivated vales. It is an ancient town, founded about the end of the tenth century, by a tribe of the Tenetes called Mequi na, who had revolted from the ruler of Fez ; but it owes its present extent and importance to Sultan Muley Is mael. After having subdued the petty kingdoms, which now form the empire of Morocco, he resolved to esta blish two imperial cities, in order to keep his subjects under more complete authority; and made Mequinez the capital of the north, as Morocco was of the south. He greatly enlarged the city towards the west, and erected a beautiful palace, with many other public build ings. On the north-w:,st, he enclosed a large space for the families of his black troops, called the Negroes QuIr ter, and which nearly equalled the city in extent ; but of this black town nothing now remains except the walls. Adjoining to this place is the Millah, or that part of the city inhabited by the Jews, which is walled round and in a good state of repair. On the side of the city to wards the Atlas mountains, is a wall of eircumvallation about six feet in height, which was built as a defence against the impetuous but momentary attacks of the Berebbers. The palace stands at the south end of the city ; and is a very extensive square, containing several well watered gardens. The buildings are all of one story, and the rooms, though narrow, are long and lofty, being about 12 feet wide, 25 long, and 18 high. The walls are inlaid with glazed tiles of bright colours, and the light is communicated by means of large folding doors. Between the different suites of apartments are courts paved with marble, some of which have a foun tain in the centre ; and in different parts of the palace are separate buildings called Kobbahs, which contain a spacious square room with a pyramidal roof, curiously carved and ornamented in the inside. In the centre of
the whole is the harem or seraglio, within which is a spacious garden planted with tall cypress bees ; a gallery supported by columns runs round the inside of the square, and communicates with the adjoining apartments, which terminate in a common hall or large chamber, where the females look through the iron-latticed win dows, to take the fresh and perfumed air of the gar dens. A hospitium, or convent or Spanish monlv, was established in Mequinez by the king of Spain, about the beginning of the 18th century, for the relief and spiritual comfort of Catholic captives and Chris tian travellers ; and was much respected by the inha bitants on account of the exemplary lives of the fathers, and the great service which they rendered to the poor by the gratuitous distribution of medicines ; but the place was deserted previous to the accession of Soliman, the present emperor.
The houses of Mequinez, like those of other Maho metan towns, have no windows towards the street, ex cept a few small holes, and open into the inner court, which are surrounded with galleries or pillars. The streets are narrow, and without any pavement ; so that the mud in winter is accumulated to a degree which renders them almost impassable on foot. The inhabi tants are milder in their manners than in any other part of the empire ; and are extremely hospitable to au-angers. The women of this town are particularly and almost universally distinguished for their beauty ; so that the term Mequinasia has become a proverbial epithet for a beautiful woman. Their eyes are large, black, and sparkling, their teeth white, and their com plexion of a healthy red and white, forming a striking contrast to the women of Fez, within a day's journey of them, who are generally of a sallow or pale complex ion. They have also elegant forms, and possess a mo desty and suavity of manners rarely met with in other places, even among the most polished nations of Eu rope. The population is estimated by Jackson at 110,000. See Chenier's Present State of the Empire of Morocco ; Jackson's Account of Morocco. (9)