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Medina of Casablanca

The medina in a 1942 map prepared by the US army in its occupation of Morocco in World War II.

The medina of Casablanca is the historic center of the city.

The original Berber name, Anfa (meaning: "hill" in English[1]), was used by the locals until the earthquake of 1755 destroyed the city. When Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah rebuilt the city and constructed the port, he named the city "ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ" (Arabic: الدار البيضاء, lit. 'White house').[2] French forces bombarded and occupied the city in 1907 and adopted the Spanish name, Casablanca. At the time of the French bombardment and invasion, Casablanca consisted of the medina, the mellah, and the tnaker.[3]

A number of examples of Moorish architecture were built in the medina. There are a number of aḍriħa (mausolea) including those of Sidi Allal al-Qairawani, Sidi Bousmara, and Sidi Belyout.[4] Casablanca was one of a number of cities—including Essaouira, Marrakesh, and Rabat—that were revitalized after the earthquake of 1755, by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah—whom Abdallah Laroui called "the architect of modern Morocco."[5][4] The sultan was known to have used European architects, such as Théodore Cornut and Ahmed el Inglizi, in his projects.[6][7] The Sqala bastion and the two oldest mosques in the city, the Mosque of the Makhzen and the Ould el-Hamra Mosque, were built during Sultan Muhammad Ben Abdallah's renovations to the city.[4]

The Church of San Buenaventura (now the Buenaventura Cultural Center) was built in the medina by the Spanish community of Casablanca in 1890.[8]

References

  1. ^ Miller, Catherine (2007). Arabic in the City: Issues in Dialect Contact and Language Variation. Routledge. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-415-77311-9. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  2. ^ Adam, André (1963). Histoire de Casablanca: des origines à 1914. Aix En Provence: Annales de la Faculté des Lettres Aix En Provence, Editions Ophrys. p. 62.
  3. ^ Cohen, Jean-Louis (2002). Casablanca : colonial myths and architectural ventures. Monacelli Press. ISBN 1-58093-087-5. OCLC 49225856.
  4. ^ a b c Blondeau, Mathilde; Ouzzani, Kenza Joundy (2016). Casablanca courts-circuits. Editions Ethnic attitude. ISBN 978-9954-37-750-5. OCLC 1135744090.
  5. ^ Laroui, Abdallah; Manheim, Ralph (1977). The History of the Maghrib: An Interpretive Essay. Princeton University Press. p. 276. JSTOR j.ctt13x12zg.
  6. ^ Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2005-07-25). World Shores and Beaches: A Descriptive and Historical Guide to 50 Coastal Treasures. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-1886-2.
  7. ^ "Histoire : Ahmed El Inglizi ou l'Anglais ayant repensé la ville d'Essaouira au XVIII siècle". www.yabiladi.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  8. ^ Blondeau, Mathilde; Ouzzani, Kenza Joundy (2016). Casablanca courts-circuits. Editions Ethnic attitude. ISBN 978-9954-37-750-5. OCLC 1135744090.
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