Dar Khalifa (Arabic: ), or The Caliph's House, is a large, historical landmark and private home in walled grounds.
It is located in
Ain Diab
Ain Diab ( ar, عين الذئاب) is a commune located at the Corniche of Casablanca, Morocco. The commune is affluent and famous for the fashionable stretch of coastline known as the Corniche. There are numerous hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, ...
, an affluent suburb of
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
that was also host to a sprawling
shanty town until the area was redeveloped.
Constructed in a
traditional Moroccan style, with numerous "
riads", or garden courtyards,
the property extends to some 5000 square metres, and is situated on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic shore. As its name suggests, the mansion was once owned by a wealthy
Khalif
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
or ruler.
It is now home to the author
Tahir Shah who is renovating the property,
and it will become the headquarters of the educational and cultural non-profit organisation,
The Scheherazade Foundation.
History
Writing in ''
Literal
Literal may refer to:
* Interpretation of legal concepts:
** Strict constructionism
** The plain meaning rule (a.k.a. "literal rule")
* Literal (mathematical logic), certain logical roles taken by propositions
* Literal (computer programmin ...
'' magazine,
Sergio Missana
Sergio Missana (1966) is a Chilean novelist, journalist, scholar, editor, scriptwriter and environmental advocate. He is a professor of Latin American literature at the Stanford University Overseas Studies Program in Santiago, Chile, and Execut ...
points out that unlike many other cities in Spain that have inherited names of Arabic origin, "Casablanca is an anomaly: a North African city with a Spanish name."
Author