| History & Patrimony |
| Casablanca, history of the city |
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| Around the hill of Anfa, there was in the middle Age a small Berber city named Anfa. While sheltering a corsair flotilla, its port traded with the Spanish, the Portuguese and the Italian cities. The Portuguese, principal victims, decided to put an end to the corsair activities. In 1468, they destroy the city, dismantle it and chase its inhabitants. During three centuries, its ruins remain deserted. |
| The city re-emerges at the end of the 18th century, under the impulse of the sultan Mohamed Ben Abdallah. But it changed its name: undoubtedly because of a large masonry used as reference to the travellers, called Dar el Beida, which means "Maison Blanche" for the French and "Casa Blanca" for the Spanish. From 1850, the advent of vapour navigation with the European demand for grains and wools, facilitate the expansion of Dar el Beida (Marseilles-Casablanca line of the Paquet company, from |
1862 to 1983), and its port disputes to Tangier the first rank.
The great mutation of the city, which is called now Casablanca, will occur at the 20th century. In 1907, a French company took the mission to construct a small artificial harbour and foreign tradesmen (mainly French) start to flow and build in edge of the medina. In 1912, Lyautey decides to make of Casablanca not only a large port but also the economic centre of Morocco. The architect Prost is charged to build the new city and to plan its development. Casablanca knows from now on a growth on the American way. The big business settles, the banks thrive, while industries attract numerous rural inhabitants. From 60 000 inhabitants in 1912, the population passes to 263 000 in 1936 and 682 000 in 1952, then approaches the million in 1960. |
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