HABOUS DISTRICT

In the 1920s, Edmond Brion and August Cadet were in charge of building one of the most atypical districts of the "white city". This new medina was intended for Moroccan peasants who had come to the city to work on its construction sites. This "habous city" had the particularity of reconciling traditional housing with European comfort. The term "habous" refers to the religious organization that oversees the allocation of housing in the medina, transmitted by inheritance, then to the poorest families in the city. Next to the royal palace (which cannot be visited), an imperial alley with arcades houses a succession of bookstores specializing in Arabic books. On the right, one notices an imposing building with domes decorated with green tiles, the court or Mahakma of the Pasha. Austere on the outside, it is very richly decorated on the inside. The visitor will discover within its walls all the ornamental refinement of the traditional architecture. The great Mohammed V mosque and its small flowery garden face it. On the left, there is the Kissaria of the craft industry, with its cloth merchants and its leather workers. Then, the brass souk, where craftsmen hammer with finesse on copper and silver trays. Next, the joutia (auction market) where carpets from the Atlas and Rabat are sold. Finally, the Moulay Youssef square, with the mosque of the same name, surrounded by shops specializing in traditional costumes. At the end of this place is the olive souk, a square courtyard covered with jars filled with olives of all kinds. It is accessed through gate 50 of the Souk El Jedid. Not far from there, the square of El Baladya gathers the butchers. You can enjoy grilled meat in an extraordinary atmosphere. Behind this square, more difficult to find, the spice market marks by the density of its stalls, its colors and its smells. You can see women pounding henna and kohl in mortars. Not far from there, merchants sell herbs and roots, but also a whole strange bestiary: iguanas in cages, animal skins, horns and skulls of large mammals for black and white magic rites. Back at the main exit of the Habous, those who love sweets will not miss a trip to the Bennis pastry shop, reputed to be one of the best in Morocco, before enjoying all this over a cup of tea on the terrace of the Café Impérial. The Habous is a breath of authenticity in the wind of Casawi's modernity.