2023-11-02 12:00:55
The medina of Taroudant covers an area of 225 ha and has a population of 75,000 inhabitants.
First capital of the Saadian dynasty (1511-1659), the medina of Taroudant is full of rich heritage just waiting to be valued. To do this, the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and Urban Policy through the urban agency of Taroudant-Tiznit-Tata is currently working on the revaluation of this medina. while taking into account the urban planning, tourist and economic aspects of the city.
Upgrade and requalify the medina of Taroudant. This is one of the projects that the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and Urban Policy is currently looking into through the Taroudant urban agency. Tiznit-Tata. “The medina of Taroudant is one of the oldest cities in Morocco. First capital of the Saadian dynasty (1511-1659), it was an important caravan center. If it subsequently lost its strategic importance, it nevertheless remains one of the most important cities in southern Morocco,” indicates the Taroudant-Tiznit-Tata urban agency. It must be said that the medina of Taroudant has a rich historical heritage (walls, doors, mosques, riads, historic foundouks square, etc.).
“The strategic location it occupies in the city and the concentration of more than half of the economic and artisanal activity make it an essential place for both local residents and tourists,” explains the same source. In terms of figures, the medina of Taroudant covers an area of 225 hectares and has a population of 75,000 inhabitants. It has a historic wall of 7.5 km with 7 gates. On a socio-economic level, commerce and crafts are also part of the characteristics of the city with a significant workforce in this sense. As the same urban agency explains, the medina is the most important urban center of the city in terms of infrastructure, population and housing, which distinguishes it from other medinas in the Kingdom. “This situation generates increased pressure on the old fabric and endangers the city’s heritage,” reports the same source. However, the medina experiences several problems such as the deterioration of the built heritage, the under-equipment of basic infrastructure and the land situation unfavorable to private investments.
In addition, the historical heritage and its tourist potential are poorly exploited. According to the city’s urban agency, despite its history and the importance of its natural and cultural, tangible and intangible heritage, the medina suffers from a significant lack of recognition, including in its own region. It also suffers from a lack of attractiveness and low promotion of its tourist vocation. Added to this are the dilapidated basic infrastructure, the deterioration of its urban landscape, the deficit in leisure, socio-collective and cultural equipment and the poor spatial organization of commercial activities, crafts and various professions. The current project aims to requalify and upgrade the medina of Taroudant in its urban, social and economic dimension. The objective is to bring together a bank of projects in order to make the medina a driving force for the city’s development. “Development actions can include rehabilitation, urban restoration, requalification or reconversion of buildings, spaces and infrastructure, preservation of heritage or even improvement of the urban and architectural landscape,” notes the same source. In this sense, it is a question of taking global action. This upgrade, according to the city’s urban agency, must go beyond the limits of a simple intervention on the built environment to put man at the center of public action.
The proposals to be made concern several areas of the medina and consist, among other things, of upgrading its surroundings; restore the wall and renovate its gates, develop the surroundings of Oued El Ouaer; rehabilitate the Mellah district, the Kasbah district and the fountains; highlight cultural facilities; or even rehabilitate tanneries, foundouks and souks (Souk Lkbir, Jnane Jamaa). The city’s Urban Agency thus wants to trigger a process of revitalization and revaluation of a deteriorating heritage while placing it in an overall perspective of sustainable development. “It is a question of connecting the accesses of the medina with the rest of the fabric of the city, of developing the economic potential of the medina, of reviewing the allocation of certain historical monuments and the possibility of the reconversion of equipment and spaces which can accommodate a significant number of socio-cultural activities.
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