Marrakesh has been a thriving city for almost a thousand years. The Red City was founded in 1062 by the Almoravid dynasty, and its mosques and medersas quickly became a cultural and intellectual epicenter of North Africa. The Almohads destroyed much of the city upon succeeding the Almoravids, but rebuilt Marrakesh using Andalusian artisans, who instilled the city with its characteristic Spanish flare. Marrakesh subsequently served as Morocco’s capital under various sultanates, and today is, without a doubt, one of the nation’s most beautiful big cities. As a hybrid of old world mysticism and new world momentum, Marrakesh will remain so for many years to come.