(Casablanca) The frantic pace of Casablanca leaves “no time to really appreciate” the city, realizes Mehdi Ksikes, tourist for a day, as he rediscovers the center of the Moroccan economic capital, considered a unique architectural concentrate of influences Moroccan and European Art Deco.
Every year during the month of Ramadan, night visits are organized through different Casablanca neighborhoods by the Casamémoire association to raise awareness about the preservation of heritage that is sometimes in a critical situation, abandoned or the object of real estate covetousness.
“I was born in Casablanca, I live there, but that doesn’t stop me from discovering things,” notes Mehdi Ksikes, a 51-year-old company manager, during a visit. Life in this bustling metropolis of more than 3 million inhabitants is such that “we don’t take the time to really appreciate it” while “there are still treasures to preserve,” he comments. .
“Our fight today is to promote this heritage,” explains Yacine Benzriouil, member of Casamémoire, created in 1995 after the destruction of several historic buildings replaced by modern office and residential structures.
We must “think about how to keep these buildings alive before they are condemned to disappear,” continues this volunteer guide, one of the 200 to have led the Heritage nights which brought together 4,000 participants in two days at the end of March.
Unlike other historic cities in Morocco, the architectural heritage of Casablanca is not limited to the walls of its medina which date from the 18th century.e century, but includes an eclectic and experimental urban fabric, designed at the height of the colonial economy under the French protectorate (1912-1956).
Young European architects have made it “an avant-garde city in the exploration of architectural and urban theories of the 20th centurye century,” explains the president of Casamémoire, Karim Rouissi, to AFP.
They built buildings in the neo-Moorish style inspired by colonial architecture in Algeria and Tunisia, then developed the neo-Moroccan characterized by classical structures integrating Moroccan craftsmanship, before the proliferation of Art Deco, specifies Mr. Rouissi, also an architect.
The old administrative district is among the most beautiful neo-Moroccan buildings in the city, grouped around a vast square, including the court of first instance or the wilaya (prefecture).
This one is a perfect example of the mixture of influences. Inspired by a palace in Siena in Italy, the building opens to the outside with balconies structured by arches and topped with green tiles, two very common elements in Moroccan architecture, according to Casamémoire.
Marrakech, Seville, Casablanca
Once inside, just like in the courthouse, beautiful green patios, lined with zelliges (hand-made mosaics), are revealed.
A few steps away, a guide explains that the polished stones framing certain windows of the Central Bank are inspired by the minarets of the Koutoubia mosques in Marrakech and the Giralda mosques in Seville, built in the 12th century.e century under the Almohad dynasty.
These traditional elements coexist with Art Deco details, such as the beehive-shaped interior glass roof.
While some architectural gems are perfectly preserved, such as the Rialto cinema or the Post Office, others are falling into disrepair.
According to Hassan Zohal, responsible at the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, 100 buildings in Casablanca must “soon” be included in the national heritage list, adding to the 483 already identified.
This requires owners to preserve the original architecture of the facades when carrying out work.
Yacine Benzriouil, yellow t-shirt crossed out with the message “Volunteer for my heritage” on the back, emphasizes that if the authorities are aware of the architectural and heritage interest of these buildings, some remain closed.
“The battle for conservation is half won,” he believes, calling for “encouraging investors to buy them and set up their headquarters there.”
On Boulevard Mohammed VI, the Lincoln Hotel illustrates his point.
Emblematic, the establishment was left abandoned for decades, before private investors launched the project of its reconstruction, with updating of the original facade of 1917.