Ouled Youssef An Old Ksar in the M’Hamid Oasis Ouled Youssef An Old Ksar in the M’Hamid Oasis Authors: Marta Colmenares Fernández, Oriol Domínguez Martínez, Alejandro García Hermida, Rebeca Gómez-Gordo, This publication gives us the opportunity to showcase the Carmen Moreno Adán, Susana Osés, Raquel Peña López, Giamila Quattrone rich heritage, both material and immaterial, of Ksar Ouled Editing: Giamila Quattrone, Claudia Briguglio, Raquel Peña López, Marta Colmenares Fernández, Carmen Moreno Adán Youssef, in the M’Hamid Oasis, in the hope to generate Photographs: ArCHIAM, Terrachidia wider awareness of its cultural significance and struggle Drawings: ArCHIAM, Terrachidia to survive desertification, sand dunes encroachment and Watercolours: Amanda Roelle outmigration. It also allows us to show our profound Design and layout: Serena Liguori gratitude to the people of the ksar for their unparalleled Collaborators: Sara Ferrarotto hospitality, generosity and eagerness to share their English translation: Isaac Sánchez traditional knowledge, and make their habitat and way Arabic translation: Ataa Alsalloum, Kenza Belahnech of life known to outsiders like us. Copyright ©ArCHIAM, Terrachidia Our sincere thanks go to the local institutions, the Caidat and Commune of M’Hamid, and to Abdelkader Laarija for the constant support provided in the Restoration, Recording and Documentation of Earthen Architectural Published by: Intbau España Heritage ISBN: 978-84-09-29356-8 Workshop, which lies at the heart of the project. Legal deposit: D.L. TO 97-2021 We are indebted to our interviewees Khalifa Mharzi (facilitator), Bouchaib Bourhim, Lahsan Kuidr and This publication has been produced with the financial support of the Barakat Trust and the University of Liverpool as part of the Abdelkader Mahassine (masters), Abdelhak Chakron Restoring, Recording and Inventorying the Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage of the M‘Hamid Oasis, Morocco project , and Moussa Touhami (apprentices), Kenza Belahnech st st 1 January-31 December 2019, led by Dr Giamila Quattrone and carried out by ArCHIAM (Centre for the Study of Architecture and (workshop participant and interpreter), Latifa Aghlan Cultural Heritage of India, Arabia and the Maghreb), University of Liverpool, and Terrachidia. (resident), the performers Ibrahim Laghfiri (singing and Project participants included Dr Ataa Alsalloum, Dr Konstantina Georgiadou, Claudia Briguglio and Matina Vrettou (ArCHIAM), guitar playing), Association for the Revitalization of the Serena Liguori and Sara Ferrarotto (Erasmus+ Trainees at ArCHIAM), Monika Koeck (CineTecture), Marta Colmenares Fernández, Oasis Heritage in M’Hamid El Ghizlane (Rokba music Alejandro García Hermida, Carmen Moreno Adán and Raquel Peña López (Terrachidia). and dance), Koider Abderhamane and Mohammed Benchekroun (chanted poetry), Zahra Benchekroun All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, (resident) for the couscous demonstration, and Amanda electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission of the copyright holders. Roelle (workshop participant) for the watercolours. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Barakat Trust and University of Liverpool, as well as the contribution of all workshop participants, without whom Project Partners Financial Support Patronage this project would not have been possible. Finally, special thanks go to Roger Mimó for being a source of inspiration and knowledge. 5 | 6 CONTENTS Introduction 17 Ksar Ouled Youssef Introduction 47 South gate 51 North gate 53 Houses 55 Marabout 61 The M’Hamid Oasis Arts and Crafts Landscape, history and society 25 Introduction 71 Settlements 33 Basketry 73 Oasis 41 Embroidery 75 Present-day threats and challenges 43 Carpet weaving and pottery 77 Music, dance and oral poetry 79 Gastronomy 83 Building crafts 87 Glossary 93 Bibliography 95 7 | 8 Documentation & Analysis provide the data base ArCHIAM necessary for the preservation of the remains of the past. The Centre produces high quality, detailed urban and architectural documentation based on measured sketches and informed by anthropological field data. The Centre uses the latest survey technologies including micro-copter aerial photography and GIS analysis. Heritage Management & Development ensure a rCHIAM, Centre for the Study of Architecture and sensitive approach to the preservation and reuse Cultural Heritage of India, Arabia and the Maghreb, A of cultural heritage through effective stakeholder is a research platform that, cutting across traditional involvement. ArCHIAM’s Heritage Management Plans disciplinary boundaries, aims to further our understanding (HMPs) put forward strategies and methods for the of how human culture and social practices in these three conservation and adaptive re-use of historic settlements interconnected global regions are expressed spatially, in a sustainable and non-disruptive manner, by re- and how in turn space affects the cultural practices of integrating them into the country’s economic life and, local groups and communities. thus, making them relevant to local communities. As the populations of the world grow and develop, the Heritage Dissemination, Awareness Raising & Capacity Heritage Documentation Heritage Management quickening pace of progress has become a threat to the Building ensure that the significance and heritage values legacy of many world’s cultures. The rapid expansion of of sites are made known to, and understood by, the wider cities and infrastructure exerts great pressures on the public through visualisations, animations and virtual fabric of the past, while changing mentalities, complex reconstructions to better illustrate past manifestations notions of modernity and climate change often lead of sites and their possible future uses. In the process, people to abandon their traditional lifestyles and built capacity is also built amongst stakeholders and the environments. Globalisation is the greatest contributor to general public through hands-on activities. social change and transformation, making the protection of cultural heritage a paramount objective in the retention The Centre consists of researchers in architecture, of a people’s shared cultural identity. archaeology, social history, ethnography, conservation and digital documentation. The ArCHIAM Team With this in mind, ArCHIAM develops theoretical positions comprises Prof Soumyen Bandyopadhyay (Director), Dr and practice-based research to aid in the preservation of Giamila Quattrone (Coordinator), Dr Ataa Alsalloum (Co- the past and its meaningful transmission to the future. Investigator), Dr Konstantina Georgiadou and Dr Mary Working in collaboration with government, academic Shepperson (Research Associates), Claudia Briguglio and and cultural institutions, as well as NGOs in India, Oman, Matina Vrettou (Research Assistants). Qatar and Morocco, the Centre has developed world- leading expertise in the following areas: Heritage For further information: www.archiam.co.uk. Heritage Capacity Building Heritage Awareness Raising 9 | 10 in different settlements within the M’Hamid Oasis through TERRACHIDIA hands-on workshops. These offer local apprentices as well as participants from all over the world the unique opportunity to learn-by-doing the traditional building crafts of southern Morocco directly from local masters. The workshop format allows to allocate a small budget for the purchase of building materials and tools, and a larger amount of the overall budget for the procurement errachidia is a Spanish non-profit NGO established of local labour. This way Terrachidia contributes, in 2012 by a group of architects who specialise in T through small-scale initiatives, to local development, the Heritage Preservation and Development Cooperation, preservation and transmission of century-long crafts and and share an interest in vernacular architecture, traditional associated know-how. crafts and building techniques. During initial consultations between Terrachidia, Since its establishment, Terrachidia has found in community representatives and key local associations a the M’Hamid Oasis, in southern Morocco, an ideal consensus is reached on the site to be restored during the implementation ground for vernacular heritage workshop, the masters to be recruited, their respective preservation and promotion through the Preservation roles in the restoration work, and the apprentices to Carmen Moreno Adán and Khalifa Mharzi on site Terrachidia members at a gate under restoration of the Cultural Heritage of the M’Hamid Oasis Project. be hired. Ahead of the workshop activities, preliminary More recently, the association has been also involved reconnaissance and documentation of the chosen site are in heritage projects in Mauritania and Spain, with the also carried out, accompanied by a tentative inventory of shared goal of: the wider settlement’s heritage alongside any necessary • studying, promoting and preserving architectural and site clearing and debris removal. cultural heritage as a driver for local development; Terrachidia’s Board of Directors comprises Carmen • promoting intercultural dialogue, cultural diversity and Moreno Adán (President), Marta Colmenares Fernández responsible tourism; (Secretary), Raquel Peña López (Treasurer), Alejandro • improving the living conditions of the local communities García Hermida (Founding Member), Oriol Domínguez through infrastructural projects (sanitation)