Khemisset

Khemisset (Arabic: الخميسات‎; Berber language: Lexmisat) is a city in Morocco with a population of 131,542 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census.[1] It is situated on the A2 motorway between Rabat (81 km) and Meknès (57 km), and is the capital of Khémisset Province.

Khemisset Lexmisat الخميسات
Khemisset Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 33°49′N 6°04′W
Country	Morocco
Region	Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
Province	Khemisset
Elevation	409 m (1,342 ft)
Population  (2014)[1]
• Total	131,542
• Rank	24th in Morocco
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)

From 1912 to 1914 the French built a 600 mm narrow gauge railway from Rabat via Souk el Abra des Sehoul, Tiflet, Dar Caid Bou Driss to Khemisset. It was abandoned in 1935 and lifted before 1942. Between Tiflet, and Khemessit the old track bed of narrow gauge line was later built to Rabat Khemisset main road. The 18 of November Stadium has a capacity of 10,000 and hosts the home games of Ittihad Khémisset. A synthetic grass pitch was installed in 2011.

The population of Khemisset (Zemmour) are Berbers of the Middle Atlas. They speak the Amazigh language, particularly the Central Atlas Tamazight dialect. Also, people in Khemisset and mainly the younger generations speak Moroccan Darija, an Arabic dialect, creating a bilingual city.[2]

References

1. "POPULATION LÉGALE DES RÉGIONS, PROVINCES, PRÉFECTURES, MUNICIPALITÉS, ARRONDISSEMENTS ET COMMUNES DU ROYAUME D'APRÈS LES RÉSULTATS DU RGPH 2014" (in Arabic and French). High Commission for Planning, Morocco. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
2. Khemisset, Morocco Page. Directory of Cities, Towns, and Regions in Morocco