El Kelaa des Sraghna | |
Pushpin Map: | Morocco#Africa |
Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Morocco |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Morocco |
Subdivision Type1: | Region |
Subdivision Name1: | Marrakesh-Safi |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | El Kelaa des Sraghna |
Subdivision Type3: | Establishment |
Subdivision Name3: | 11th Century |
Established Date: | 11th Century |
Population As Of: | 2014 |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 95224 |
Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
Timezone: | WET |
Utc Offset: | +0 |
Timezone Dst: | WEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +1 |
Coordinates: | 32.0481°N -7.4083°W |
Elevation M: | 400 |
Postal Code: | 43000 |
Kalaat Sraghna Arabic: قلعة السراغنة|qalʿat as-sarāḡina, also Kelaat Sraghna, El Kelaa des Sraghna, or El Kelaa des Srarhna) is a small city in central Morocco. The economy of the town is mostly based on agriculture, the growing of olive trees being predominant.
According to some historical references, the Alaouite Sultan Moulay Ismail established the city in the 17th century. The Sultan had aimed to found citadels and Quasbas to control the movements of mountainous tribes. Other references state that the existence of the city refers to the period of the Almoravids. According to other sources, the city was known as the Arabs designations such as "Gaynou" Lagrare, and it was founded by the Almoravids as a project to monitor the road between Fes and Marrakesh, to populate the area and fight against Berghouata’s heresy. Nevertheless, some manuscripts cite evidence that Saadian Dynasty founded the city in the late the sixteenth century and it was known as the designation "Kelaat Lagrare".
El Kelaa des Sraghna has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).