Kénitra

Kenitra القنيطرة / Qniṭra
Avenue Mohamed Diouri, Avenue Mohamed V, Kenitra
Seal
Kenitra Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 34°15′N 6°35′W / 34.250°N 6.583°W / 34.250; -6.583
Country	Morocco
Region	Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
Province	Province of Kénitra
Founded	1912
Government
• Mayor	Aziz Rabbah (PJD) (2009)
Area
• Total	76 km2 (29 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	431,282
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	WEST (UTC+1)
Website	http://www.alkenitra.com/

Kenitra (Moroccan Arabic: قْنيطره‎, Qniṭra; Arabic: القنيطرة‎‎, al-Qonayṭéra, the little bridge) is a city in northern Morocco, formerly (1932–1956) known as Port Lyautey. It is a port on the Sbu river, has a population in 2014 of 431,282, is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the Chef-lieu of the Province of Kénitra. During the Cold War Kenitra's U.S. Naval Air Facility served as a stopping point in North Africa.

The history of the city begins with the foundation of a trading-post by the Phoenicians, known back then as Thamusida. Under the Antonine dynasty, a Venus temple was built there.

Before the French protectorate, there was only a kasbah in the area where the modern city can today be found.

In March 1912 the French government and the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Hafid, signed the Treaty of Fez. Because of his growing unpopularity, the Sultan asked the French government for protection against the Berber rebel tribes surrounding Fez. France appointed Hubert Lyautey resident-general in Morocco.