Imagine an old radio with a hoarse voice, perched on a rickety shelf in a shop, chanting verses from the Quran. The still-drowsy sky glows with the first rays of dawn. It's 5 am, the medina stretches out in full length, and Casa is waking up.
The first merchants open their shops, stock up, and dust off. Here and there, a cart or a donkey laden with goods trundles by; in the distance, the city's main arteries are already beginning to roar with the sound of engines. The street vendors are returning to their stalls.
In a few hours, the bazaar will be teeming with people, a motley crowd of shoppers, walkers, tourists, residents of the medina, hawkers, and stray cats attracted by the smell of grilled fish wafting from the stalls.
From Anfa to the medina
Located between the Almohades and Sour Jdid boulevards, the legendary Moorish café La Sqala and the legendary Rick's Café, the medina is generally accessed from Bab Marrakech, "the gate of Marrakech. The historic heart of Casablanca, it was built between 900 and 1500, and according to the oldest writings corresponds to the original Anfa. Although it is not possible to precisely date the birth of the medina, it is attested that Casablanca, and the medina, were partially destroyed by the Lisbon earthquake of November 1755. Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah then decided to rebuild the city in 1770, and named it "Dar El-Beïda", the White House.
The secrets of “Dar EL-Beïda”
It is often believed, and wrongly, that "Dar El-Beïda" is the translation of the Portuguese "Casa Blanca". It is exactly the opposite! The origin of this name lies in the 14th century where a legend tells that the sanctuary of Sidi Allal Kairouani, a sailor from Kairouan, Tunisia, located at the entrance to the medina, bore the name of White House. It was built by Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah in homage to Sidi Allal Kairouani, patron saint of fishermen and a holy man renowned for his wisdom and piety. The sanctuary is said to have borne the name "Dar El-Beïda" in honor of his late daughter, Lalla Beïda, who drowned while coming to join her father, and whose immaculate whiteness of face was praised.
Like the allure of the Mediterranean
More recent than the other medinas of the imperial cities following the reconstruction work that followed the earthquake, it also differs by its architecture mixing Arab-Moorish and colonial styles. In some respects, the old medina of Casablanca is reminiscent of Mediterranean cities, with its maze of alleys, its white facades, its wrought iron balconies, its Moorish arcades, moldings and large bays, its zelliges and Andalusian patios.
A sociological distribution by neighborhood
At the time of its reconstruction, the old medina was equipped with ramparts 6 to 8 meters high, around a perimeter of 4 kilometers. These are pierced by 8 gates, the most famous of which remains Bab Marrakech, but also Bal El-Kebir or Bab El-Marsa. Inside, it is divided into 3 districts according to social class or religion. The "medina" district, strictly speaking, where the residence of the Caïd or Dar El-Mekhzan was located, the consulates, the main markets, mosques and sanctuaries. The Moroccan bourgeoisie, both Muslim and Jewish, and a small European community of expatriates have taken up residence there. And finally, the "tnaker", a popular Muslim district.
The mixing of cultures over the centuries
Jewish and Berber populations from the mountains, peasants from the plains and southern Morocco, migrated to the old medina at the beginning of the 18th century. Merchants from the kingdom's major cities, diplomats, and more broadly Europeans also settled there. The result was a harmonious cultural and spiritual blend of mutual influences and fraternal bonds between the communities. Today, the cosmopolitanism that characterizes the old medina still bears the traces of peaceful and happy coexistence. Sub-Saharan populations have joined this beating heart of the old city, and one of the medina's markets is called "Little Dakar," and serves as a trading post selling products from all over Africa.
A heritage in danger
The era of the French Protectorate was synonymous with economic, demographic, and urban growth, and very quickly, the European populations, as well as the native bourgeoisie, left the medina, preferring the new colonial districts. This exodus led to a gradual impoverishment of the medina, which was abandoned by the wealthy social classes, although it still attracts many tourists today. Now its population, mostly from modest social classes, does not have the means to maintain this heritage, which is gradually falling into disuse. However, projects aim to rehabilitate this historical legacy of inestimable value.
Pleasures of the senses
After strolling with the wind, exploring the alleys of the mellah, contemplating the fortifications on the Sqala side, offering a prayer to Sidi Allal Kairouani and Sidi Bou Smara, wandering through the string of bazaars that line the exterior of the ramparts, perhaps succumbing to a Moroccan handicraft or a djellaba, the walker will appreciate a gourmet break at the entrance to the medina, in the small square where street vendors huddle. We will feast on a bowl of snails cooked in a spicy broth served piping hot. The sky begins to turn purple. The lit medina still vibrates with human bustle, while a languid and solemn melody of Oum Kalthoum rises in a spiral towards the firmament.
