TAZA

city, north-central Morocco. Located south of the Er-Rif Mountains, the city is composed of two formerly separate towns built on separate terraces overlooking a mountain valley. The old town (medina) is at an elevation of 1,919 feet (585 m) above sea level and is surrounded by fortifications; the newer town, established by the French in 1920, is located in a fertile plain at an elevation of 1,460 feet (445 m). Fossil remains are evidence that caves in the area were inhabited as early as the Paleolithic Period. The city is located in a mountain pass known as the Taza Gap, through which successive waves of invaders moved westward onto the Atlantic coastal plains of northwestern Africa. Taza was founded by Meknassa Berbers (about the time of the late 7th century Arab conquest), who gave alliance to the Idrisids in 790 and later joined with the Fatimids of Al-Qayrawan. The Almoravids took over Taza in 1074 and were replaced by the Almohads in 1132. In 1248 it was captured by the Marinids. Although Taza barred the route of Turks from Algiers seeking conquest in what is now Morocco, it fell to the French in 1914. The medina houses barbican monuments, mosques, and a 14th-century madrasah (school). Pop. (1982) 77,216.