Ifrane
Ifrane (Arabic: إفران) is a city in the Middle Atlas region of northern Morocco (population 14,659 as of November 2014). The capital of Ifrane Province in the region of Fès-Meknès, Ifrane is located at an elevation of 1,665 m (5,463 ft). In the regional Tamazight language, "ifran" means caves.
Ifrane
إفران | |
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Ifrane in winter (Clockwise from top: Chalet-style apartments; a road through the forest; a barbary macaque in the forest; the campus of Al Akhawayn University) | |
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Flag | |
Openstreetmap of Ifrane | |
Ifrane Location in Morocco Ifrane Ifrane (Africa) | |
| Coordinates: 33°32′N 5°07′W | |
| Country | Morocco |
| Region | Fès-Meknès |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Abdeslam Lahrar |
| Elevation | 1,665 m (5,460 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 14,659 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
The modern town of Ifrane was established by the French administration in 1928 during the protectorate era for their administration due to its Alpine climate. Ifrane was conceived as a "hill station" or colonial type of settlement. It is a resort town set high up in the mountains so that Europeans could find relief from the summer heat of the interior plains of Morocco. Ifrane is also a popular altitude training destination.
The first permanent settlement of the area dates to the 16th century, when the Sharif Sîdî 'Abd al-Salâm established his community in the Tizguit Valley, seven km downstream from the present town. Ifrane is a colonial "hill station", and a "garden city". It is also an "imperial city", a mountain resort, a provincial administrative center, and a college town.