Mahkamat al-Pasha ( "the pasha's courthouse," ) is an administrative building constructed 1941-1942 in the
Hubous
The Hubous ( ''al-Hubous'' or حَي الأَحْباس ''Hay al-Aḥbās''), or colloquially Habous, is one of the older neighborhoods of Casablanca, Morocco. Its development dates back to 1916, in the early stages of the French protectorate in ...
neighborhood 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 ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
. The complex serves or has served as a courthouse, residence of the
pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
(
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
), parliamentary reception hall, and jail.
History
In January 1930, the pasha of Casablanca at the time
At-Tayyib Al-Moqri
Abūʾl-Qāsim al-Ṭayyib ibn al-Manṣūr () was, according to the Tayyibi sect of Isma'ilism, the twenty-first imam. The only son of Caliph al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah, al-Tayyib was an infant when his father was murdered. In the ensuing power str ...
, the second son of the Moroccan grand vizier
Muhammad al-Muqri
Haj Muhammad Ben Abdessalam al-Muqri (, February 2, 1854 – September 9, 1957) was a senior Moroccan official of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was an adviser and grand vizier to several sultans of Morocco, including under French c ...
, decided to build a civil courthouse in the
Habous
A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitable ...
. It was designed by the French architect
Auguste Cadet Auguste may refer to:
People Surname
* Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer
* Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman
* Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter
* Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold a ...
(
fr), who was heavily involved in the planning of Casablanca and particularly of its Habous neighborhood.
The construction of the courthouse was carried out during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when French authorities usurped most modern building materials in their colonies, such as steel and cement, for the war effort. As a result, even though the courthouse was built in the mid-twentieth century, it was built with traditional methods, brick by brick. The complex is characterized by traditional Mauro-Andalusi architectural features:
zeleej,
stucco work
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
, carved
cedar
Cedar may refer to:
Trees and plants
*''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae
*Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar
Places United States
* Cedar, Arizona
* ...
wood, and green-tiled roofs.
File:محكمة الباشا 20 52 09 012000.jpeg, A view of one of the ''ṣoḥoon'' framed by an archway.
File:Mahkama Pacha.JPG, Interior of the building.
File:محكمة الباشا 20 52 01 947000.jpeg, A detail of traditional Moroccan architectural elements: ''zeliij'' and arabesque
The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
plaster.
File:Mahkama du Pacha, Casablanca, (Old name- Marocco 002).jpg, Traditional Moroccan carving.
File:محكمة الباشا 20 50 22 825000.jpeg, Helix staircase.
File:ممر في محكمة الباشا بمدينة الدار البيضاء المغربية.jpg, Corridor.
File:محكمة الباشا.jpeg, Staircase.
File:Mahkama du Pacha.jpg, The courthouse from the outside.
{{Portal bar, Morocco, Architecture
Buildings and structures in Casablanca
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References