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Port Lyautey

Kenitra
القنيطرة / Qniṭra
Avenue Mohamed Diouri, Avenue Mohamed V, Kenitra
Avenue Mohamed Diouri, Avenue Mohamed V, Kenitra
Official seal of Kenitra
Seal
Kenitra is located in Morocco
Kenitra
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.


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