Medina quarter







Mule moving goods through the car-free Medina in Fes, Morocco


A medina quarter (Arabic: المدينة القديمةal-madīnah al-qadīmah "the old city") is a distinct city section found in a number of North African and Maltese cities. A medina is typically walled, with many narrow and maze-like streets.[1] The word "medina" (Arabic: مدينةmadīnah) itself simply means "city" or "town" in modern-day Arabic although it was borrowed from an Aramaic-Hebrew word (also "medina") referring to a city or populated area.




Contents






  • 1 Description


  • 2 List


    • 2.1 Algeria


    • 2.2 Libya


    • 2.3 Malta


    • 2.4 Morocco


    • 2.5 Tunisia


    • 2.6 Locations of ruined medinas




  • 3 References


  • 4 External links





Description


Medina quarters often contain historical fountains, palaces, mosques, and sometimes churches.


Because of the very narrow streets, medinas are generally 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. The Medina of Fes, or Fes el Bali, is considered one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world.[2]



List




Medina Tripoli, Libya




Medina Tangier, Morocco



Algeria




  • Algiers, the Casbah of Algiers is a medina named after its fortress.


  • Dellys, the Casbah of Dellys



Libya



  • Derna

  • Ghadames

  • Gharyan

  • Hun

  • Murzuk

  • Tripoli

  • Waddan

  • Tazirbu

  • Benghazi



Malta



  • Mdina, Malta, has medina-like features from its past Arab rulers


Morocco




  • Casablanca, Morocco


  • Chefchaouen, Morocco


  • Essaouira, Morocco


  • Medina of Fes, Morocco, has two ancient medinas, reflecting the fact that today's city contains two medieval cities that were built close together but were separate


  • Medina of Marrakesh, Morocco, has a very extensive and ancient medina


  • Meknes, Morocco


  • Rabat, Morocco


  • Tangier, Morocco


  • Taza, Morocco


  • Tétouan, Morocco



Tunisia




  • Hammamet, Tunisia


  • Kairouan, Tunisia


  • Monastir, Tunisia


  • Medina of Sfax, Tunisia


  • Medina of Sousse, Tunisia


  • Medina of Tunis, Tunisia, includes the famous Al-Zaytuna Mosque



Locations of ruined medinas




  • Granada, Spain


  • Seville, Spain


  • Córdoba, Spain



References





  1. ^ "Medina definition". Oxford English Dictionary..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ "7 car-free cities". Mother Nature Network.




External links



  • Map of Tunis medina

  • Carfree Cities: Morocco









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