| | History guide for Marrakesh by Hostelbookers (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-09) |
 | | The city's founder (as that of the Almoravid dynasty) was Youssef Ben Tachfine, a restless military leader who conquered northern Morocco within two years and then, turning his attention towards Spain, defeated the Christian kings, to bring Andalucia under Moroccan rule. |
 | | Their first sultans regained the Atlantic coast, which had been extensively colonized by the Portuguese; Ahmed El Mansour, the great figure of the dynasty, defeated the Portuguese at the Battle of the Three Kings and led a conquest of Timbuktu, seizing control of the most lucrative caravan routes in Africa. |
 | | Subsequent history under the Alaouites – the dynasty perpetuated today by King Mohammed VI – is largely undistinguished. |
| www.hostelbookers.com /guides/morocco/marrakesh/history (792 words) |