GUELIZ, ANOTHER WORLD ?

Centennial

In 2013, we celebrated the centenary of Gueliz, the modern and European-designed district of Marrakech. This district is in perpetual motion.

Starting from the Medina, some “go up” to Gueliz and others “go down”.

On the topography side, it’s quite flat anyway.

 

 

 

We will not settle the matter!

 

The origins

‘Gueliz’ is a rather curious name ! It comes from that of the small mountain at the exit of Marrakech the “Mont Gueliz”.  Its rocks were used to build the neighborhood. The word itself is said to be of Berber origin, derived from ‘Igliz’ which means beetle. Indeed, at certain hours, the reflections of the mountain would give it the shape of the beetle. That seems clear !

Except that, according to other scholars, it is on the side of the word «agouliz», which means «isolated mountain» in tachelhit (Berber), that one must look for…

 

 

A second question that will not be answered !

 

Hubert Lyautey

At the time of the Protectorate, Marshal Lyautey was the first Resident General of Morocco from 1912. He was sincerely  attached to this country and its inhabitants. Being a progressive figure, he showed himself respectful of cultures, religions, traditions and customs.

He wanted to preserve the medinas from an inevitable transformation due to foreign presence.

 

 

 

He was convinced that the Europeans had to go out and move away from the medinas and gather in their own neighborhoods. Thus the historic centers will be preserved, traditions will not be disrupted and populations would live more serenely. A kind of “Everyone at home, for a better coexistence “.

 

 

 

Captain Landais, an urban planner in his spare time, then Head of Municipal Services puts Lyautey’s ideas into practice and traces the drafts. The work begins. Later, the famous French architect Henri Prost (who redeveloped Casablanca, Fès, Rabat, Meknes) also intervenes. It is difficult to imagine that the immense land planted with various trees and palm trees would become  Gueliz. The first major arteries thus appear between the rock of Gueliz and the ramparts of the medina:  the Casablanca Avenue and the Gueliz Avenue will become the Koutoubia Avenue then the Mangin Avenue  and finally the Mohammed V Avenue.

 

 

 

One of the principles for the creation of these new districts is to offer Europeans some usual landmarks both aesthetically and urbanistically; large avenues, a clear layout, a modern sanitation and road system, galleries, arcades, terraces, modern buildings, well-appointed administrative buildings, shops and places of leisure.

We are at the opposite of the labyrinthine maze of the alleys of the medina.

Birth of the district

The main avenue offers an impregnable perspective on the minaret of the Koutoubia which stands out against the backdrop of Atlas peaks and palm trees. A magnificent postcard !

 

 

The houses come out of the ground to accomodate the first 800 inhabitants of the area. The 1914-1918 war hinders development. From 1919, development starts again.

 

 

 

 

 

Schools, shops, a market, the Hôtel des Postes, a police station, the Tobacco warehouse, two cinemas and concert halls, a slaughterhouse, two garages, twelve cafes, four restaurants and two hotels, the Recette des Finances… and some small industries appear.

 

 

 

As much as possible, the typical “garden city” aspect of Marrakech, by bypassing or integrating large areas of vegetation, will be preserved. It will be the same with the creation of the quiet and residential district of Hivernage by Henri Prost.

Emblematic constructions of the new city stand out over time: the Gidel and Hébréard buildings…

 

 

 

 

In 1928 the church of the Holy Martyrs is built.

 

 

 

The Palace, Lux, Regent and Coliseum cinemas, the Casino, a large number of hotels and coffee-shops and hundreds of pretty villas…

 

 

 

 

However, the development of the neighborhood is not as fast as expected. The hectic life of the medina continues to fascinate both local and foreign Marrakchis, and for a long time Gueliz has retained its rural and holiday atmosphere, even if the European community finds itself there, takes its habits, and has fun there.

A new era

It is around its 80-90 spring that Gueliz finds a dazzling dynamic.

The tourist explosion, the real estate boom leads to the construction, sometimes anarchic, of hotels and residential buildings. The “lifting” is not always very successful because many pretty houses and villas from the 1940s, which gave a particular charm to Gueliz, disappear in fact.

 

 

The new city changes its appearance and its population increases very significantly. It attracts all the social categories that can accommodate themselves in the different neighborhoods. Many Moroccan families leave the medina, abandoning their large houses or riads in which all generations used to live together. They are now looking for more modern and equipped apartments.

During the 2000s, several projects emerged. The real estate and commercial complex Plazza is inaugurated and moves the nerve center of the neighborhood in its wake.

 

 

 

Avenue Mohammed VI (formerly Avenue de France) was inaugurated in 2004. Along its 5 km you will find the new monumental station, the Palais des Congrès and the Théâtre Royal, a plethora of luxury hotels and residences, a multiplex cinema (Le Mégarama), a large shopping center (Al Mazar, Carrefour).

 

 

 

Le Carré Eden opens its doors. It is one of the recent and most ambitious achievements in the center. All the stores, with world-famous brands, are established in these aisles.

 

 

Large terrace cafes, restaurants of international cuisine, Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish, Turkish, flourish.

 

 

 

 

Barbers, hairdressers, beauty salons, spas, open next to each other.

 

 

 

 

During your stay in Marrakech, a foray into Gueliz is essential. The contrast between the two atmospheres, Medina and Gueliz, is striking and completely complementary. I always advise my hosts to push their steps to Gueliz. In addition, the half-hour walk along Avenue Mohammed V is very pleasant and airy. One can also stroll in the beautiful alleys of the Cyber Parc Moulay Abdeslam.

 

 

On the way, a visit to the Ensemble Artisanal, Handicraft Cenetr is really interesting. A true range of all the arts of Morocco is presented in the workshops. One can meet the artisans and see them work.

 

 

From a more traditional Morocco in the medina to a Morocco in full modernity in Gueliz, the experience will be complete.  This country and this city of Marrakech resolutely move forward without ever losing its roots.