Avenue Mohammed V, Rabat

Avenue Mohammed V, sometimes referred to by its old name Avenue Dar al-Makhzen (lit.'Royal Palace Avenue'), is a major thoroughfare in downtown Rabat, Morocco. Its main section was created under the French Protectorate in Morocco and mostly developed between 1915 and 1932, when it was also known as Cours Lyautey.[1] At the southern end of that section is the As-Sunna Mosque, whose history dates back to the 18th century like that of the nearby royal palace or Dar el-Makhzen.

Northern end of the avenue's wider segment, with Bank Al-Maghrib on the left and Maroc Telecom on the right

Name

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Before Moroccan independence in March 1956, what is now Avenue Mohammed V used to come under several names: from north to south, rue el Gza, rue Bab Jdid, rue Bab Teben, all three in the old medina; avenue Dar el-Makhzen, between Boulevard Galliéni (later renamed Avenue Hassan II), and rue de la Maréchale (west) / rue Maurice Pascouet (east; later renamed into, respectively, Avenue Soekarno in 1960 and Avenue Al Mansour Addahbi); Cours Lyautey, between Avenue Soekarno / Al Mansour Addahbi and Avenue Moulay Hassan with the As-Sunna Mosque (this section was also known as avenue Dar el-Makhzen); and Avenue des Touarga [fr], running southeast beyond the mosque into the ministries' neighborhood and leading to the Protectorate Residence. All these tracks were renamed in honor of then-reigning King Mohammed V in July 1956.[2]

Urban design

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Avenue Mohammed V is a prime example of urban design in the context of the French protectorate, in which first resident-general Hubert Lyautey promoted the creation of "new cities" (French: villes nouvelles) next to the older medinas that were preserved in their traditional urban form. In Rabat as in Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh and Meknes, the design of Rabat's new city was led by Henri Prost,[3] with assistance for landscaping by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier.[4]

Notable buildings

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The avenue's northern section is one of the thoroughfares that intersect Rabat's old medina, lined with shops and several mosques. The point where it crosses the Andalusian wall of Rabat is the location of the city's central market built in the early protectorate era, for which the ancient gate of Bab Tben was demolished. Further to the south, the avenue's wider central segment is lined with a number of iconic buildings hosting major Moroccan institutions. These include, roughly from north to south and from west to east:

Further southeast, the avenue is bordered by ministries and ends at the entrance of the former protectorate residence, now Ministry of Interior, designed by Albert Laprade and completed in 1924:[9]

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Avenue Mohammed V". Dome at MIT Libraries.
  2. ^ "Il n'y a plus de "cours Lyautey" à Rabat !". Le Monde. 7 July 1956.
  3. ^ Karima Berdouz and Mouna M’hammedi (2019), "Cultural Urban Heritage at the Challenge of Urban Planning Policy: Rabat and Casablanca as Example (1912-2018)", MAT Journals: Journal of Interior Designing and Regional Planning, 4:1: 21
  4. ^ Mounia Bennani (2012), "Le rôle fondateur du paysage dans la création des villes coloniales marocaines : Rabat et Marrakech, deux exemples de villes-jardins", Projets de Paysage
  5. ^ "Le Palais de Justice des années 20 en péril". Le Matin. 17 September 2013.
  6. ^ Abderrahmane Chorfi (2013). "Transformation de l'espace urbain par le Protectorat à travers le cas de la ville de Rabat". In Denise Turrel (ed.). Villes rattachées, villes reconfigurées, XVIe - XXe siècles. Tours: Presses universitaires François-Rabelais. pp. 247–258.
  7. ^ "La nouvelle Banque d'Etat" (PDF). Le Temps. 26 November 1925.
  8. ^ Charlotte Jelidi (2007), La fabrication d’une ville nouvelle sous le Protectorat français au Maroc (1912-1956) : Fès-nouvelle, Université François Rabelais - Tours, p. 271
  9. ^ a b c Saïd Mouline (1998), Repères de la Mémoire : Rabat (PDF), Ministère de l'habitat, de l'emploi et de la formation professionnelle
  10. ^ Tayeb Laabi (2020). "Discover Rabat: Parlement du Maroc (Ex-Palais de justice)". facebook. Jeune Chambre Internationale Rabat.
  11. ^ "Jean-François Robert, architecte D.P.L.G., au delà du cinéma Empire (II) : la collaboration avec la société Balima". Au pays du soleil couchant. 2 November 2019.
  12. ^ Houda Belabd (26 October 2022). "Rabat / ONCF : Le réaménagement de la gare Rabat-Ville entre les mains de l'UNESCO". L'Opinion.
  13. ^ "Jean-François Robert, architecte D.P.L.G., au delà du cinéma Empire (I) : les sources". Au pays du soleil couchant. 29 October 2019.
  14. ^ Youssef Aït Akdim (9 October 2014). "Maroc : le Musée MMVI, écrin chic pour Rabat". Jeune Afrique..