Medina quarter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A medina quarter (Arabic: المدينة القديمة) is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze-like streets, and was built by Arabs as far back as the 9th century CE. The word "medina" (or Médina) (Arabic: مدينة, madīna) itself simply means "city" or "town" in modern day Arabic.
Medinas often contain historical fountains, palaces, and mosques. The monuments are preserved for their cultural significance (and are also a draw for tourists).
Because of the very narrow streets, medinas are free from car traffic, and in some cases even motorcycle and bicycle traffic. The streets can be less than a metre wide. This makes them unique among highly populated urban centres. Some medinas were also used to confuse and slow down invaders because of how narrow and winding they are.
[edit] Locations of existing medinas
- Algiers, Algeria The Casbah (Kasbah, Qasbah) of Algiers is a medina named after its fortress.
- Benghazi, Libya
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Chefchaouen, Morocco
- Dakar, Senegal
- Darnah, Libya
- Essaouira, Morocco
- Fes, Morocco is the largest medina in the world
- Gharyan, Libya
- Hammamet, Tunisia
- Kairouan, Tunisia
- Mahdia, Tunisia
- Marrakesh, Morocco
- Mdina, Malta has medina-like features from its past Arab rulers
- Meknes, Morocco
- Rabat, Morocco
- Sousse, Tunisia
- Tangier, Morocco
- Tétouan, Morocco
- Misratah, Libya
- Tozeur, Tunisia
- Tripoli, Libya
- Tobruk, Libya
- Tunis, Tunisia
- Zliten, Libya
