Wall Fountains as the Accreditation Factor for Moroccan Neighborhoods

The hangout spot in the Medinas of Morocco has been recognized as the center of the neighborhood. The centers are featured by the inseparable elements of the space or fountains. The fountains and their features are of special importance to the centers. This paper is an attempt to examine how fountains and their features make the neighborhood unique. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. In the first section of this paper, the role of the fountain in evoking the image of the neighborhood in the minds’ of its audience is examined. The fountains are frequently repeated in the center of the neighborhoods. The recurrence of an element makes it memorable and transforms it into a sign. What make fountains more unique are their contrasts with other elements in the texture. In the second part, nature and quality characteristics of the fountains are delved into and it is attempted to show that there is more to the fountain than meets the eye. The similarity shared between the decorations of the fountains and those of important spaces such as mosques, schools and the yards of the houses show that this element is of the spiritual importance to the inhabitants. In fact, people identify themselves with the fountains.
Data were gathered through observations. To this purpose, fifteen neighborhoods of the Medinas from the six cities were chosen. The analysis of data shows that the fountains are the sign of the centers of neighborhoods in the Medinas. The neighborhood can be identified with them and the spaces with no fountains fail to serve as the neighborhood center.