Khénifra (in Tifinagh: , in Arabic: خنيفرة ) is a city of the Moyen Atlas with the Morocco, capital of the Zayanes, Berber tribe , located at 160 km of Fès, and at 300 km of Marrakech in the Province of the same name. According to new cutting, the Province of Khénifra belongs to the area Meknès-Tafilalet: Made of the prefectures Meknès-El Menzeh et al. Ismaïlia and four provinces (El Hajeb, Ifrane, Khénifra and Errachidia), the Meknès-Tafilalet area borders the two million inhabitants, rural half and urban half.

The economic activity of this area remains dominated by the tertiary sector (43,2%). Rural environment represents there nearly 76%. She is regarded the pearl of the Moroccan mountains to the reddish colors and especially as the capital of the lakes.

Toponymy and etymology

Khénifra is the derivation of the verb Berbère “ khanfar ” which means “to attack”, because of a historical fact. At a time given the city was taken of force to the tribe of the Has Bouhaddou (Zayane subgroup). To express their hegemony on the city, Zayanis made of Khénifra a control field for non Zayanis. They established a “customs” system for the forwarding agents, who were obliged to pay a tax. According to another anecdotic version, the etymology would come from the history of a strong man who attacked the passers by.

Akhanfer wants to say “Catch”. It is a very widespread play with the Average Atlas. The Toponyme indicates the place where the play proceeds. Khénifra also draws its name from its geomorphology because of its enclavement between 4 mountains: “Al Hafra”. Reddish coloring of its ground, another name is allotted to him, Khnifra AlHamra : “Khénifra Red”.

Province of Khénifra

The province of Khénifra is located Latitude 32° 55 ' 48 NR and Longitude 5° 39 ' 36 W and has a surface of: 12320 km ². It is created in 1973, it concerns the area Meknès-Tafilalet. The provinces bordering are Khémisset, Ifrane, Beni Mellal, Khouribga, Errachidia and Boulmane.

The province of Khénifra is divided administratively into 3 municipalities, 3 circles and 12 caïdats. It counts 38 common of which 3 urban (Khénifra, Me rirt and rural Midelt and 35 .

Under areas are: Aguelmous (54050), Has Ishak (54100), Boumia (54150), Khenifra-Amalou (54004), Khénifra Principal (54000), Mibladen (54373), Midelt (54350), Me rirt (54450), Taakit (54374), Elkbab (54200), Ouaoumana (54102), Tighassaline (54003). See also the zip codes of the villages of the province

Population

The population is in majority Berbère, spoken language is the Tamazight, the demography of the province is distributed as follows:

  • Urban population: : 273000.

  • rural Population: : 250000.
  • Total population: : 523000.

History of Khénifra

The area of Khénifra constitutes on strategic planning an asset, which will make it possible to control the door of Tadla and Taza, in spite of the resistance and the warlike tenacity of its population.

The history of Khénifra takes origin of two historic buildings, only besides existing still currently:

  • the Kasbah of Mouha or Hammou Zayani, built by the sultan Almoravide Ibu Tachfin on the edge of Oum Errabiaa, restored by the sultan Alaouite Moulay Ismaïl in 1688, within the framework of the construction of the going strategic axis of Meknès while passing by Azrou, Khénifra, until Marrakech.

  • the Kasbah of Adakhssal (to 15 km of the city) and of the famous bridge on Oum Errabiaa says “Portuguese”, probably built at the same time as the Kasbah of Khénifra. Historically, the Portuguese presence mentioned forever in manuscripts of the time.

The history of Khénifra is related to these two historical listed monuments by the Moroccan Ministry for the Culture as a national heritage Kasbah of Moha or Hamou (dahir of the bearing December 26th, 1933 classification - B.O. N° 1114 of March 2nd, 1934 - P.186). The Kasbah of Mouha or Hammou Zayani and the old bridge mark the conscience of Khnifris where the present and the past intermingle in the collective conscience with its generations. This bridge is always set up in spite of the many risings which it had to undergo. A legend was forged around the old bridge: it is believed that it is built with eggs (according to the oral tradition).

The town of Khénifra, was taken by the legionaries, (compounds of Senegalese, Algerians and Goumis Moroccan recruited with Chaouia) in June 1914, under the command of Richard d' Ivry which had acquired with the Morocco a legendary reputation during the Campagne of Morocco in the area of Meknès and with the Tadla where it had been useful under Charles Mangin: military strategist who who been able to avoid the confrontation with the going Zayanis before the tender of the tribes of Chauoia to the borders of the “Country Zayane”.

In reference to the “Newspaper of the steps and operations of the 2nd battery of the 1st Regiment of Artillery of Mountain for the period from September 6th, 1912 to October 16th, 1913”, the command of the occupying forces of Morocco was conscious of the risks of the confrontation direct with the tribes of Zayanes at the time of the Campagne of Morocco 1907-1914. In this report/ratio, Charles Mangin describes with precision the various phases of his countryside.

Three months after this event, against attack will take place with Elhri, on November 13rd, 1914: the Battle of Elhri, imprudently committed by the Colonel Duverdier with the attack of the camping of the rebel Mouha or Hammou, constrained to leave the kasbah, occupied by the soldiers.

One also notes the demonstrations against the Berber Dahir, promulgated on May 16th, 1930, from which the goal was to separate the Berber ones from the Arab communities.

Before the arrival of the soldiers of the sultan Moulay Hassan I {{er}} in 1877, Khénifra was anything else only one point of transition from transhumance between the Azaghar and the Jbel. It is from there that Khénifra will take its dimension of city. Unfortunately, Khénifra did not develop, during the Colonisation, with the height of its natural potentialities (it belongs to the Morocco known as useless).

It is known for its savage resistance at the time of the French Colonisation, considered by the battle of Elhri (village located at 20 km of Khénifra) (November 13rd, 1914), which showed the victory of Zayanes and other close Berber tribes: Ichkirn Elkbab, Has Ihnd Krouchen, even Has Hdiddou and of Atta Has, for the first unified time. This victory symbolizes the glory of the tribes and great prestige that Mouha or Hammou Zayani was forged where the column of the Duverdier officer was almost destroyed, but the colonial response was not long in appearing by the deployment of its military panoply in order to insulate Zayanes and to restrict their geographical surface and to force them to take refuge in the mountains. The blockade of the tribes Zayanes was carried out successfully, the Moroccan attic of Tadla is then put in safety against the attacks of Zayanes.

June 2nd, 1920, the Pasha Hassan submits himself to the General Poeymirau (1869-1924), very near collaborator to the marshal Lyautey.

The city is also known for its popular risings and its events:

  • August 1994: Demonstration against the Berber Dahir supported by some caïds having at their head the Pasha El Glaoui, the pasha Hassan Amahzoune and certain hostile intellectuals with the Berber ethnos group (strikes, prayers pronouncing the “Lative case” while asking God not to separate the Berber ones from their Arab brothers…). This protest movement launched by the middle-class elite Fassi resulting from traditional teaching will take the head of resistance until independence in 1956. However, the Amazigh question does not cease generating polemics. Conscious of the problem, the king Hassan II had proposed in his speech of August 20th, 1994, the language teaching Berbère (Tamazight, Tachelhit and Tarifit). This gesture marked the point departure of a certain political clearing towards Amazighes.

  • August 20th, 1955: the birthday of the deposition of the king Mohammed Ben Youssef causes an insurrection with Khénifra (three killed journalists), Oued Zem, Immozer Maroucha, Has Alahem (Aderj) and with Casablanca. Event marked by a massive repression on order of the General Gilbert Grandval, day bloody for the population of Khénifra especially the tibus Zayanes which encircled the city, the order of the massacre was ordered, the town of Oued Zem was not saved by the exaction of the tyrant who found death in the mountains of Khénifra on August 22nd, 1955 during the explosion of his plane. The assessment of 700 died on the Marocain side, 49 dead Europeans (figure that Charles-Andre Julien qualifies the ridiculous one).

  • March 1973: event of Moulay Bouazza. Action perpetrated by the Tanzim, connects dissenting party revolutionary UNFP of orientation (1963-1973), whose main actor was Fqih Basri, in favor of the armed struggle. Elements of the group infiltrate with Khénifra, Goulmima, and Tinghir.

  • on March 2nd, 1973, a suicidal action was undertaken in Moulay Bouazza, by Mohamoud, died then on March 5th, 1973 at the time of the engagements. This action was a fiasco, the population had not taken share there. It will remain nevertheless traumatized by the Répression of certain Zayanes tribes. After the decrispation of the political process and within the framework of the Authority equity and reconciliation, the curtain was raised to make it possible the victims to testify, putting an end to the years known as iron.

  • on October 17th, 2001, the Speech of Ajdir addressed to the nation by the king Mohammed VI in Khénifra, at the time of the ceremony of affixing of the Seal of the sherifs sealing the dahir, creates and organizes the royal Institute of the culture Amazigh E. This speech made it possible to give fresh impulse to the defenders of the thesis Amazigh as a national entity and inheritance impossible to circumvent.

Geography

Located between four large mountains, Bamoussa in the west, Akllal in the east, Bouhayati in north and Jbel Lahdid (or Bouwazal: iron mountain into Berber) in the south. The city is crossed by the river Oum Errabiaa or Oum Erebia.

Khénifra is on the main roads 24 (useful road axis for the saving in Khénifra) to 160 km of Fès, and to 300 km of Marrakech. Located at 826 m of Altitude (NR: 32º 56.142 ' - O: 05º 40.465 '). According to new cutting, the province of Khénifra belongs to the area Meknès-Tafilalet: (Meknès, El Hajeb, Ifrane, Errachidia, Blessed Mellal, Khénifra).

Climate

The Climat of this area is continental what influences the seasonal amplitudes thermal, and even day laborers. A Hiver rigorous succeeds a hot summer. The Pluviométrie varies according to the areas between 400 and 700 mm/an on average.

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