Marrakesh, a former imperial city in western Morocco, is a major economic center and home to mosques, palaces and gardens. The ancient section of the city, known as the medina, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. It is the first of Morocco’s four imperial cities, it lies in the centre of the fertile, Irrigated Haouz Plain, south of the Tennsift River. Marrakech was founded by the Almoravids, religious nomads who emerged from the south to build their capital on the Tensift River in 1062. Under the leadership of Youssef Ben Tashfine, Marrakech became a cosmopolitan centre of culture and learning with Andalusian-style mosques and palaces with population of over 2 million including suburbs. Marrakech is the capital of the mid-southwestern region of Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, close to the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. The Jemaa el Fna is the heart of the city, which is divided between the medina, the French-built New Town (ville nouvelle), Gueliz, and the suburbs.