Habbous

The medina of Casablanca has unfortunately been destroyed by the earthquake of Lisboa in 1755. Most historic sights have been lost and the city has received a more modern style since then. A great place to explore is in fact the second medina which is called Habbous. It dates back to the year 1916 when a Moroccan Jewish merchant donated the land to the king. As the king wasn’t allowed to receive a donation from a Jew (antisemitism can unfortunately be found in many places), the donation was redirected to a new foundation. This Habbous foundation created a special city quarter with low-price housing the cannot be sold by the inhabitants.

It is a place built for the poor people, for the craftsmen coming into the city to earn a living. The rent for these houses is very low still today and inhabitants try to not move out by any means. Surrounding this residential zone you can find different mosques and souks. It is like a small original place of historic Morocco concentrated in a city quarter. A great place to observe Moroccan traditional lifestyle and discover unknown elements like community bakeries: where inhabitants bring their bread or pastilla and get it baked for a small fee.

Start your trip at the Makahma du Pascha administrational building with its lovely gates and walk past the Palais Royal that you can only see from a distance. From there you can get into Habbous with its original city structures, small souks, community bakeries and the olive market. You can buy souvenirs and have a nice thé à la menthe before continuing your journey – a good place for a rest is the Café Imperial where people squeeze together on an outdoor terrace observing life.

Habbous
Casablanca
Morocco