The Landscaping Emergence of Water Infrastructures in the Cities of Morocco
Ayda
Alehashemi
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author
text
article
2017
per
The urban water networks in Morocco just like other countries in North Africa and Middle East represent complex networks, which are integrated deeply with various aspects of social life. The water networks in the Moroccan cities still play a pivotal role in the urban landscape where the traditional fountains with their repetitive formal instructions in Chefchaouen, Tétouan, Tangier, Fez and Meknès gains a significant attention of each visitor. Why and how the water networks emerge and work in this special way in the cities of Morocco, is the question that this paper tries to find the answer for. Visiting the cities of Morocco and deciphering the relation between the fountains and the urban structure and topography shows that these fountains (places where water emerge) as a last chain of the water network in the Moroccan cities have roles more than a mere functional one. Analyzing the information gathered in the field visits states that these elements coincide completely with the topographical situation of the cities, and are the focal points in the formation of urban facilities, city centers and neighborhoods, and even more in the organization of residential fabrics. These elements have considerable presence in the main urban components such as, mosques, Hammams (public bath), Zaviehs (rooms for dervish), further to the city centers, neighborhood centers, and city entrances and gates, in the open spaces in bazaar and so on. The results of this brief survey also show that besides the decisive role of the traditional fountains in the spatial structure of Moroccan cities, with their special aesthetical instruction and semi-mihrab form integrated to the Moroccan subjectivity and familiar ethics, these elements play a significant cultural and an identical role in the Moroccan cities. Synthesizing the result of field observation in the Islamic Moroccan cities and the remains of the ancient roman city called Volubilis, near the city of Meknes, revealed the relation between indigenous and Islamic rituals and roman traditions in the field of water networks and their main elements, fountains.
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient
Nazar Research Center
2345-6612
5
v.
15
no.
2017
3
12
http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_50771_c0d17afee63381527ff855ba8bb2e3fb.pdf
Aesthetic of Pots in Morocco
padideh
adelvand
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author
text
article
2017
per
The repetition of an element in any culture, in addition to patterning, can be considered as an identity verifier of ? and also a conveyor of meaning, that the perception of it by the audienc would confer an aesthetic interpretation of cultural preferences. By this definition, the repetition of the urban element of pot and the framing of natural elements of water and tree in the public space of Moroccan cities seems to be one of the hallmarks of the country’s cultural heritage. Moreover, the attitude of trustees, whether in forms of the government institutions or in position of a citizen, implies the preferences that let the pot to be transferred from urban furniture into the field of public and urban art.This article seeks to respond to the ecology of pot, which means discovering the origin of its footprint in the art of the Romans, and it is assumed that the obvious presence of this element should probably be rooted in the pots of "tree of life" and" spring of life" in Romanian culture. These elementsare still visible in the form of a vase, pond and drinking fountain in the territories of the Roman Empire.By accepting that the pot as a frame and margin is set to decorate a text, ?the article in response to the pot semiotics in Roman culture and consequently in modern Moroccan culture concludes, that in spite of the presence of natural elements of water and trees in pot, a naturalistic approach does not dominate it. It seems that in sense of decorating, the pot has gone beyond the text- here means natural elements- to the extent that has even been replaced it. Such an approach can also be associated with a kind of decorative theme.This article is of an exploratory nature and is based on field observations. Selection of case studies is based on finding the repeating element that wasup taken from the evidences and analysis of eight cities and townships have been observed in Morocco as a statistical community sample.
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient
Nazar Research Center
2345-6612
5
v.
15
no.
2017
13
22
http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_50775_7ec5e878c57f5c8d61e2ebe4aeb89e50.pdf
Redefining Tourism Based on the Revival of Original Vernacular Life in the Historic District
sajad
moazen
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author
text
article
2017
per
Travel as one of the best strategies for the inner change of human beings has a special place. Since the relationship between travelers and the destination is necessary in a desirable travel, creating a condition for recognizing the original native life of the destination is a major concern of interventionists in Historic District. The general Historic District of Morocco, which leads an active life, is entirely dependent on tourism industry. With the presence of tourists in the Historic District, not only current normal and native life and activities in Historic District fundamentally change based on the tourists wishes, but also people’s manners and habits becoming touristic-friendly. Therefore, anyone who wants to understand the original layers of native life in Historic District must sheer the different layers of artificial and unreal life. The purpose of this article is to provide a solution for using tourism to protect the original life of the historical District. The method of obtaining documents, field study, and descriptive analytical method was used in data analysis. One of the most important ways to historical District revitalization can be combination of abandoned houses in the heart of the Historic District, rather than the aggregation of buildings near to main access.
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient
Nazar Research Center
2345-6612
5
v.
15
no.
2017
23
36
http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_50776_0c738fb03253707a1ac8bd4457dd1372.pdf
Categorizing the Organizing Components of Traditional Moroccan Mosques
mohsen
akbarzadeh
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author
text
article
2017
per
A review of the designs and constructs of mosques in Islamic countries indicates that even in common elements like courtyards, fundamental differences can be found. A survey of images of these mosques can maybe reveal similarities and differentiation in ornaments, but it is the underlying order of them makes them distinguishable architectural types. For the Iranian audience, Moroccan mosques are remarkable because without Iwans, minarets, domes, and only with a Shabistan next to a cubical minaret, they could create a viable and accepted Islamic worshiping space.
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient
Nazar Research Center
2345-6612
5
v.
15
no.
2017
37
44
http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_50777_071c8e35e1118a38f6e8ba06665e60b5.pdf
The post-colonial landscape?
Investigating Factors Affecting Moroccan Native Business Landscape Pattern with a Case Study of Jema el-Fnaa Square
samaneh
rahmdel
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author
text
article
2017
per
Moroccan native business landscape consists of a landscape that is most visible to the daily activities of the people of this land. The business landscape, for the same reason, is most closely related to native culture; at the same time, it is the function of various variables which distinguish this landscape on intercultural scale. This essay aims to identify a part of the native culture of the Land of Morocco, looking for the most influential factors in shaping the current Moroccan native business landscape. This process is done in two parts: field observations and library studies. The first step is to discover the problem; and the second step is to solve it. In the field studies, by examining the Moroccan medinas as locations of the native business landscape, ultimately two squares of Moroccan cities were selected as two examples of focal point of this landscape: al-Hadim square in Meknes and Jema el-fnaa square in Marrakech. By comparing these two, the hypothesis of the impact of tourism as a major variable in the business landscape model of medina is presented. In this section, the viewpoint of the Jema el-fnaa square is introduced as the witness of the assumption. This hypothesis is challenged in the second part. In the library studies section, two historic transition periods have been identified with the approach of historical review of the formation of the business landscape of Jema el-fnaa; That the first period led to the physical protection of the landscape of the square; and the second period has led to the preservation of oral culture, specifically the native and historical business of the square. In both periods, the role of external factors are very significant. Finally, with the relative rejection of the hypothesis, it is proved that the durability of the landscape of the square, although dependent on the “alien”, but the alien is, not a tourist, but a resident of Morocco. As a result, the article suggests that: The business landscape of the Jema el-fnaa area is not a landscape of tourism but a seemingly postcolonial, but deeply colonized appearance, because the native consciousness has not played. a role in its creation
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient
Nazar Research Center
2345-6612
5
v.
15
no.
2017
45
54
http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_50778_cf076b2c716cd73202b1ef0cbf135600.pdf
Comparative study on the Origins of some Ornamental Patterns in Traditional Moroccan Architecture
mojgan
mokhtari
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author
text
article
2017
per
Ornamentation is one of the salient features of traditional Moroccan architecture. Given that studying the semiotics of trends in decoration is more justifiable (is accomplished by more validity), concentrating on the origins of decorative patterns could present a more accurate understanding of traditional Moroccan architecture. Fieldworks have suggested that three trends of Roman, Berber and Muslim architecture have been the most important factors shaping wall decoration patterns in this architecture. Moroccans superposed colourful barbarian patterns on geometrical Islamic designs, used string barbaric embellishments -which later replaced the keystone in arches- and utilized shell-like motifs in many scales, which are a few examples of these influences. This article attempts to explain the evolution of these decorations by investigating the origins of these designs in more intact Moroccan samples and then studying the primitive and advanced amalgams.
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient
Nazar Research Center
2345-6612
5
v.
15
no.
2017
55
62
http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_50779_bb158aa6089d3841e835174ffa3df872.pdf