Meknes | EPFL Graph Search

Meknes (maknās, maknaːs; amknas; Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital of Morocco under the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismaïl (1672–1727), son of the founder of the Alaouite dynasty. Moulay Ismaïl created a massive imperial palace complex and endowed the city with extensive fortifications and monumental gates. The city recorded a population of 632,079 in the 2014 Moroccan census. It is the seat of Meknès Prefecture and an important economic pole in the region of Fès-Meknès. Meknes is named after an Amazigh (Berber) tribe historically known as the Miknasa (Imeknasen in Amazigh languages). Timeline of Meknes Volubilis, a major Roman-era settlement in Morocco and one of its early urban centres, is located near the site of the current city of Meknes. The current city and its name, however, originate with a Berber tribe called the Miknasa who settled this region around the 10th century. A group of small unfortified Miknasa villages known as miknāsat al-zaytūn were established here in the 10th century. The Almoravids founded a fortress or fortified settlement just south of these villages after conquering the area in the 11th century. Originally called Tagrart or Taqrart, this Almoravid settlement formed the beginnings of what is now the old medina of Meknes. The Nejjarine Mosque, often reputed to be the oldest mosque in the city, dates back to the Almoravid period and may have served as the central mosque of the Almoravid settlement. The mosque that became the present-day Grand Mosque of Meknes is believed to have been first built by the Almoravids in the 12th century. The fortress resisted the military advance of the Almohads, who destroyed the city after a long siege in the 12th century. However, at the beginning of the 13th century the Almohad caliph Muhammad al-Nasir (ruled 1199–1213) rebuilt the city and its fortifications, as well as its Grand Mosque.

Mutation d’une gare routière à Rabat. Plateforme pour une scène de transit.ion

Ghita Ouassini

L’architecture moderne au Maroc se caractérise par l’assimilation de cultures importées qui se confrontent à certaines pratiques locales qu’elle a omis de considérer. L’énoncé théorique Hybridation culturelle et modernité marocaine a démontré que celle-ci perpétuait la ségrégation spatiale héritée de la période coloniale. L’appropriation informelle de l’espace public devenant un acte de résistance qui va à l’encontre de la planification. Le projet met en lumière ces pratiques jugées indésirables par les pouvoirs publics et prend place dans l’ancienne gare routière d’Al Kamra à Rabat. Ce lieu symbolique, aujourd’hui vacant, était jusqu’à récemment, un centre névralgique de transport où des milliers de citadins et ruraux transitaient pour accéder aux quartiers commerciaux, industriels et universitaires avoisinants. La Plateforme s’imprègne de la « culture de la congestion » et propose un tiers lieu caractérisé par différentes interventions propices à l’appropriation. Dans la coupole emblématique, un gradin circulaire inspiré de la Halqa (le cercle formé par les spectateurs dans le théâtre populaire) devient un socle pour l’improvisation et l’expression artistique. Tandis qu’en arrière scène, une galerie permet de loger des intermittents du spectacle de passage pour la saison. Des ateliers sont mis à disposition d’artisans et la canopée qui connecte ces différents programmes forme un espace public ombragé qui peut accueillir des marchands ambulants. À travers ces infrastructures, l’objectif est d’effacer les frontières et de favoriser la cohésion sociale. Vibrant au rythme de ses usagers, ce lieu de transition entre différentes séquences urbaines devient un organisme cinétique.

2023

Electrification of Isolated Areas by Interconnecting Renewable Sources (ERD Project): Lessons Learned

Jean-Claude Bolay, Benjamin Michelon

Researchers from Switzerland and Morocco undertook a joint project to develop a technique for producing electrical energy from renewable primary energy sources to supply small networks of isolated consumers. Specific attention was paid to sustainable devel ...

2008