Habous Quarter (New Medina)

The Habous Quarter, also called the New Medina, is a planned neighbourhood south-east of downtown Casablanca in Morocco's Casablanca-Settat region. It was conceived in the 1910s under the French Protectorate and the administration of Marshal Lyautey, who sought to house the growing Moroccan population in a district that followed traditional urban form, separate from the European city. Construction began in 1917 and the district was largely built through the 1920s and 1930s, with architects including Albert Laprade, Auguste Cadet and Edmond Brion. The land came from the Habous, the Islamic charitable endowment, which gives the quarter its name. The design combines traditional elements such as arcaded shopping streets, courtyards, public fountains, a mosque and a royal palace with modern urban planning, wide enough lanes and electricity. White buildings with green-tiled roofs, carved wooden doors, wrought-iron balconies and horseshoe arches are typical of the neo-Moorish Mauresque style. The quarter includes the Mohammed V Mosque, the Dar el Makhzen royal palace and the Mahkama du Pacha, a ceremonial court building completed in the 1950s. Craft shops sell leather, brass, textiles and carpets, while bookshops, olive stalls and well-known pastry shops serve residents and visitors. Unlike the Old Medina, the district is orderly and its shops are fixed price in many cases. The quarter has been lived in continuously since the early 20th century, and many buildings are maintained by residents and the Habous administration rather than by museum authorities. The area is free to enter at any time, with shops generally open around 9am to 8pm. A morning visit is usually followed by lunch in one of the small restaurants.