JOLEE-Power-Edition-2020

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Morocco
Ait-Ben-Haddou
By Susan Berger
New York / San Francisco / Hong Kong / London / Tokyo /
Rome / Toronto
On the southern slopes of the High Atlas mountains, the town of Ait-Ben-
Haddou is a remarkable example of the earthen architecture of southern
Morocco as well as Pre-Saharan construction techniques. While the oldest
buildings date from the 17th century, the building techniques can be traced
back centuries.
The town of Ait-Ben-Haddou was once a stop on the ancient Sahara Trade
Route linking ancient Sudan to Marrakesh, where traders carrying slaves,
spices and other goods would rest on their way to Timbuktu or the Western
Sahara. It is considered a ksar, or fortified village, situated on a hill
overlooking a river. The ksar is a group of closely-built homes constructed
of local organic material formed into bricks and covered by a red mud
plaster. Some of the homes, or kasbas, of the wealthy traders are large
multi-store buildings with ornate decorative motifs. Narrow alleyways
wind through the kasbas and up the hillside. The common areas of the
town include a mosque, a public square, grain threshing areas, two
cemeteries (Muslim and Jewish) and the Sanctuary of the Saint Sidi Ali or
Amer. The town walls contain high corner towers which served to defend
the ksar.
The rooms in the kasbas followed practical designs. No room could be
larger than the maximum size of the nearest indigenous tree that provided
the ceiling beams. Narrow slits acted as windows so archers could shoot
their arrows during tribal attacks, which were common, and flat roofs
became open-air bedrooms during the hot summer months. Holes in the
walls existed to ventilate the homes, whose walls would dry out and
disintegrate much faster without them. Because the buildings are made of
clay, they are damaged with each storm, necessitating the repair of the walls.
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