MOROCCO, or MARRAKESH, the second capital of the sultanate of Morocco (q.v.) on the north side of an extensive and fer tile plain, 1,500 feet above sea-level, about 96 miles from its port on the Atlan tic, and 230 miles southwest of Fez, the chief capital of the empire. It has an excellent situation in sight of the Atlas Mountains, from which cool streams are always flowing and is noted for its genial and healthful climate. It commands the trade routes across the mountains, but the city has long been hastening to decay. chiefly the result of war, plague and wretched government. It is encircled by a lime and earth wall nearly six miles in circuit, between 20 and 30 feet high, with square towers every 50 paces, and pierced by nine gates, but all in a ruinous condition. A large portion of the immense space within the walls is occupied by ill-kept gardens, open areas, and gsoks,* or market places; the eight large cemeteries are outside the walls. In the bazaar and merchants' quarter a considerable local trade is carried on with the country people, the mountaineers from the neighboring Atlas, and with Sus, Tafilet, Maza gan, Saffi and Mogador. Morocco possesses many mosques, one of which, the Kutubia, has a tower after the model of the Hassan in Rabat and the Giralda in Seville, 320 feet high.
On the south of the city stands the palace, now seldom occupied by the sultan, comprising a space of about 1,500 yards long by 600 yards wide, and near it is the Jews quarter (El Millah), a walled enclosure of about one and one-half miles in circuit, one-half of it nearly in ruins, thronged to suffocation and excessively filthy. There are several tanning and leather dyeing establishments of considerable extent, though of late years European goods have been gradually displacing native manufactures. The population varies according to the presence or absence of the sultan, his court and army. Mo rocco was founded in 1072 by the Emir Yusef ben Tachefyn, and reached the summit of its prosperity in the 13th century and was famous as a seat of learning. In those days it is af firmed to have contained more than 700,000 in habitants. During several centuries it suffered from civil wars, and was sacked by the rebel lious Berbers more than once. Pop. estimated at from 50,000 to 80,000; Jews, according to one computation, totaling 17,000.