Kenitra (, al-qunayṭara, ,
History
Ancient history
The history of the city begins with the foundation of a trading post by
Ancient Carthage explorer Hanno. It was known back then as
Thamusida.
Colonial and recent history
In March 1912 the French government and the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Hafid, signed the Treaty of Fez. Because of his growing unpopularity, the Sultan asked the French government for protection against the Berber rebel tribes surrounding Fez. France appointed
Hubert Lyautey resident-general in Morocco.
General Lyautey restored peace and order to the country after crushing the tribal uprising. After safely moving the Sultan from Fez to the current capital city, Rabat, Lyautey began his task of civilian administration.
One of the first preoccupations of General Lyautey was to build ports along the inhabitable Atlantic coast where there were no natural harbors. He established Port Lyautey in 1912 as a French military fort and town. Its port, at the mouth of the Sebou river, was opened in 1913.[ Kénitra depuis 1912 ] It soon became the best river port in Morocco.[ In Morocco by Edith Wharton, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1920] Kenitra draws its name from a culvert built at Fouarat lake upstream of the kasbah. This culvert was destroyed in 1928. In 1933, the French officially named the locale "Port Lyautey".
It was renamed "Quneitra" in 1956 as Morocco gained its independence. The city has grown rapidly to be a shipping centre for agricultural produce (mainly fruit), fish, timber, and lead and zinc ores. The city's industrial area lies upstream of the port.
U.S. Naval Base
In November 1942, after
Operation Torch, the Americans captured the Port Lyautey
Vichy France fighter base as a military base, named
Kenitra Airport. For three months the 21st Engineer Aviation Regiment worked on the airfield. In February 1943 the
Seabees of the 120th Naval Construction Battalion took over all construction activities.
[Port Lyautey, Chapter XX, The Mediterranean Area, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corp, 1940-1946, Volume II, UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, p. 80[2]] The Navy ran the base until 1947, when the State Department negotiated reversion of control to France. In 1950, a $23,000,000 expansion was authorized, but then the
Korean War diverted resources. In the 1950s, nearly 10,000 people were on the base making it the largest aggregation of Americans in any one overseas base outside Japan. Later, the base in Kenitra was expanded to become a U.S. Naval Air Station.
The base was shared by both the US and Morocco through the Cold War. A small Navy communications out-station in Sidi Yahia closed in the late 1970s. The Air Station was closed in 1991.
Climate
Kenitra has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification
Csa). In summer, there are 27.4 days on average in which the maximum daily temperature is at or higher, and 1.6 days with max temperature above . Winters are mild and rainy, with sub-freezing temperatures occurring only 0.3 days per year on average.
[ The highest recorded temperature was on 1 August 2003, and the coldest was on 13 February 2012.][
]
Population
Estimated population of Kenitra city from 1982 to 2014 |
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Areas and neighbourhoods
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Mdina
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Khabazate
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The Cigogne
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La cite
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Modern city
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Popular districts
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Saknia
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Ouled Oujih
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Maghrib al Arabi
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Residential districts
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Bir Rami
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Ismailia
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Val fleuri
Education
Colleges and universities
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(UIT)
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ENCG Kénitra ()
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HECI Kénitra (Hautes Etudes Commerciales et Informatiques)
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ENSA Kénitra (École nationale des sciences appliquées de Kénitra)
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ENSC Kénitra (École
Transportation
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The National Route 1 and the A1 motorway pass through Kenitra and connect it to Rabat-Salé in the south-west and to Larache in the north-east.
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The city is served by one railway station: Kenitra-Ville. A shuttle train, TNR, connects the city, every 30 minutes, to Rabat and Casablanca.
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A high-speed rail line to Tangier was completed in 2018.
Sports
Kenitra Athletic Club, KAC
In 1938, a group of Kenitra natives created KAC.
This group of soccer lovers wanted to resist French domination in sports in Morocco.
The team, made entirely of Kenitra natives, succeeded in reaching the premier Moroccan soccer league in 1956. In 1960, KAC won its first championship league of Morocco. KAC embarked in a journey of glories by winning the 1973-81-82 championship leagues and the 1961 throne cup.
Ahmed Souiri was a long-time manager and coach. KAC has produced many international players.
Noureddine Bouyahyaoui and Labid Khalifa were among the players who helped the Moroccan national soccer team qualify for the second round of the World Cup finals in Mexico in 1986. Mohammed Boussati still holds a national record of goals by scoring 25 goals in one soccer championship season in 1981–82.
Its home is the Kenitra Municipal Stadium which has a capacity of 15,000 people.
Basketball
The KAC Kénitra was a very successful basketball team during the 70s and 80s.
Notable people
Kenitra was the birthplace of:
See also
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Bouknadel
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Battle for Port Lyautey
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Al-Maamora Forest
Notes and references
External links
