History of Casablanca

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Casablanca played an important role in African history as soon as it began to develop at the beginning of the 20th century, especially since the 1920's. Numerous quarries where opened and several major archaeological finds occurred until the sixties, including discovery of human remains (Lecointre, 1926; Neuville et Ruhlmann, 1941; Biberson, 1956, 1961; Ennouchi, 1969, 1972). This heritage is unfortunately quickly disappearing under the modern city and archaeologists have to race with builders to protect and excavate the sites (Raynal et Geraads, 1993; Raynal, 1998; Sbihi-Alaoui et Mohib, 1998).

Casablanca's street plan is based on that of a French architect named Henri Prost, who placed the center of the city where the main market of Anfa had been. From this point all main streets radiate to the east and to the south. More city plans were developed in 1946, and later in 1984.

1 Before the French Protectorate
2 French rule
- 2.1 The Casablanca Conference
3 Since independence
4 Bibliography
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Before the French Protectorate

The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers by about the 10th century BC.^[1] It was used as a port by the Phoenicians and later the Romans.^[2] A small independent kingdom, in the area then named Anfa, arose in the area around that time in response to Arab Muslim rule, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068.

During 14th century, under the Merinids, Anfa rose in importance as a port of exportiong to as far as Genoa, Italy. In the early 15th century, the town became an independent state once again, and emerged as a safe harbour for pirates and privateers, leading to it being targeted by the Portuguese, who destroyed the town in 1468.

The Portuguese used the ruins of Anfa to build a military fortress in 1515. The town that grew up around it was called "Casabranca", meaning "White House" in Portuguese. They eventually abandoned the area completely in 1755 following an earthquake which destroyed most of the town.

The town was finally reconstructed by sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah (1756-1790), the grandson of Moulay Ismail and ally of George Washington. The town was called Dar el Beida (white house) in Arabic and Casa Blanca in Spanish, after the many companies that establish themselves here.

In the 19th century, the area's population began to grow as Casablanca became a major supplier of wool to the booming textile industry in Britain and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing Morocco's now famous national drink, gunpowder tea). By the 1860s, there were around 5,000 residents, and the population grew to around 10,000 by the late 1880s.^[3] Casablanca remained a modestly-sized port, with a population reaching around 12,000 within a few years of the French conquest and arrival of French colonialists in the town, at first administrators within a sovereign sultanate, in 1906. By 1921, this was to rise to 110,000,^[3] largely through the development of bidonvilles

[edit] French rule

Main article: French Morocco

A view on the Boulevard de Paris in central Casablanca

Boulevard Mohamed el Hansali in 1950s

In June 1907, the French attempted to build a light railway near the port and passing through a graveyard. Residents attacked the French workers, and riots ensued. French troops were landed in order to restore order, which was achieved only after severe damage to the town. The French then took control of Casablanca. This effectively began the process of colonialisation, although French control of Casablanca was not formalised until 1910.

The famous 1942 film Casablanca underlined the city's colonial status at the time -- depicting it as the scene of a power struggle between competing European powers, carried out without any reference to the local population, and with the film's vast cosmoplitan cast of characters (American, French, German, Czech and some other nationalities) including not a single Arab.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Casablanca was a major centre of anti-French rioting. A terrorist bomb on Christmas Day of 1953 caused terrible casualties.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Casablanca Conference

Casablanca was an important strategic port during World War II and hosted the Casablanca Conference in 1943, in which Churchill and Roosevelt discussed the progress of the war. Casablanca was the site of a large American air base, which was the staging area for all American aircraft for the European Theater of Operations during World War II.

[edit] Since independence

Morocco regained independence from France on the 2nd of March, 1956.

In 1930, Casablanca hosted a round of the Formula One world championship. The race was held at the new Anfa Racecourse. In 1958, the race was held at Ain-Diab circuit - (see Moroccan Grand Prix). In 1983, Casablanca hosted the Mediterranean Games.

The city is now developing a tourism industry. Casablanca has become the economic and business capital of Morocco, while Rabat is the political capital.

In March 2000, women's groups organised demonstrations in Casablanca proposing reforms to the legal status of women in the country. 40,000 women attended, calling for a ban on polygamy and the introduction of divorce law (divorce being a purely religious procedure at that time). Although counter-demonstration attracted half a million participants, the movement for change started in 2000 was influential on King Mohammed VI, and he enacted a new Mudawana, or family law, in early 2004, meeting some of the demands of women's rights activists.

On May 16, 2003, 33 civilians were killed and more than 100 people were injured when Casablanca was hit by a multiple suicide bomb attack carried out by Moroccans and claimed by some to have been linked to al-Qaeda.

A string of suicide bombings struck the city in early 2007. A suspected militant blew himself up at a Casablanca internet cafe on March 11, 2007. On April 10, three suicide bombers blew themselves up during a police raid of their safe house.^[4] Two days later, police set up barricades around the city and detained two more men who had escaped the raid.^[5] On April 14, two brothers blew themselves up in downtown Casablanca, one near the American Consulate, and one a few blocks away near the American Language Center. Only one person was injured aside from the bombers, but the Consulate was closed for more than a month. ^[6]

[edit] Bibliography

AMANI, F., 1991 - La faune de la grotte à Hominidé du Jebel Irhoud (Maroc). Thèse, Université de Rabat, 229 p.
AMANI, F et GERAADS, D., 1993 - Le gisement moustérien du Djebel Irhoud, Maroc: précisions sur la faune et la biochronologie, et description d'un nouveau reste humain. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Paris, II, 316, 847-852.
BERNOUSSI R. 1994 - Etude d’une taphocénose Pléistocène: example de la Grotte des Rhinocéros (Carrière Oulad Hamida I, Casablanca), DEA, Université de Bordeaux I, 101p.
BERNOUSSI R., 1997 - Contribution à l’étude paléontologique et observations archéozoologiques pour deux sites du Pléistocène moyen du maroc atlantique: grotte à Hominidés de la carrière Thomas 1 et de la grotte des Rhinocéros de la carrière Oulad hamida 1 (Casablanca, Maroc). Thèse de l’Université de Bordeaux 1, n° 1711, 263 p.
BIBERSON P., 1956 - Le gisement de l'Atlanthrope de Sidi-Abderrahmane. Bulletin d'Archéologie Marocaine, 1, 38-92.
BIBERSON P., 1961 - Le cadre paléogéographique de la Préhistoire du Maroc atlantiqueet Le Paléolithique inférieur du Maroc atlantique. Publications du Service des Antiquités du Maroc, Rabat, fasc. 16 et 17.
BIBERSON P., 1963 – Human evolution in Morocco in the framework of the atlantic Pleistocene. African ecology and human evolution, Chicago, 417-447.
CHAVAILLON J. et N. (1981) - Galets aménagés et nucléus du Paléolithique inférieur. Mélanges offerts au Doyen L. Balout, ADPF, Paris, 283-292.
CHAVAILLON J., CHAVAILLON N., HOURS F., PIPERNO M., 1978 – Le début et la fin de l'Acheuléen à Melka-Kunturé: méthodologie pour l'étude des changements de civilisation. Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 75, 4, 105-115.
EL GRAOUI M., 1994 - Contribution à l'étude des formations littorales quaternaires de la région de Casablanca (Maroc): sédimentologie, microfaciès et minéraux lourds. Thèse de l'Université de Bordeaux 1, n° 1100, 263 p.
ENNOUCHI E., 1969 - Découverte d'un Pithécanthropien au Maroc. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris.,série D, p. 763.
ENNOUCHI E., 1972 - Nouvelle découverte d'un Archanthropien au Maroc. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris., t. 274, série D, p. 3088-3090.
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GERAADS D., 1980 - La faune des sites à Homo erectus des carrières Thomas (Casablanca, Maroc).Quaternaria, 22, 65-94.
GERAADS D., 1993 - Middle Pleistocene Crocidura (Mammalia, Insectivora) from Oulad Hamida 1, Morocco, and their phylogenetic relationships. Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. v. Wetensch. 96 (3), 281-294.
GERAADS D., 1994 - Rongeurs et Lagomorphes du Pléistocène moyen de la "Grotte des Rhinocéros", Carrière Oulad Hamida 1 à Casablanca, Maroc. N. Jb. Paläont. Abh., 191, 2, 147-172.
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Raynal et al., BAM t XX, page 17
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GERAADS, D. et AMANI, F., 1998b - Le gisement moustérien du Djebel Irhoud, Maroc: précisions sur la faune et la paléoécologie. Bulletin d'Archéologie marocaine, Rabat, 18, 11-18.
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Oughlam, Casablanca, Maroc. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, t 326, 671-676.
GERAADS D., HUBLIN J.J., JAEGER J.J., TONG H., SEN S., TOUBEAU P., 1986 – The Pleistocene Hominid of ternifine, Algeria: New results on the environment, age and industries. Quaternary Research, 25, 380-386..
HUBLIN J.J., 1991 - L'émergence des Homo sapiens archaïques: Afrique du Nord-Ouest et Europe occidentale. Thèse d'Etat de l'Université de Bordeaux 1.
LEAKEY L.S.B., 1951 – Olduvai Gorge. Cambridge University Press, 164 p.
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LEFEVRE D., 2000 - Du continent à l'océan. Morphostratigraphie et paléogéographie du Quaternaire du Maroc atlantique. IIe partie: le modèle casablancais. Thèse d'Habilitation à diriger des recherches, volume 3, p. 100 à 308, 47 fig., 2 tab., Université de Montpellier III.
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LEFEVRE D., RAYNAL J.P., TEXIER J.P., 1985 - De la fin du Villafranchien au début du Soltanien: example d'évolution des paléoenvironnements du Maroc occidental et oriental. Colloque de l'Association des Géographes français, Paris, novembre 1985, diffusion restreinte.
LEFEVRE D., RAYNAL J.P., TEXIER J.P. , GERAADS D., OCCHIETTI S., EL GRAOUI M., 1996 - Littoraux pliocènes et pléistocènes de Casablanca (Maroc). Colloque INQUA/PICG 367 Lignes de rivages et zones cotières au Quaternaire, Perpignan, décembre 1996, résumé.
LEFEVRE D., TEXIER J.P., RAYNAL J.P., OCCHIETTI S., EVIN J., 1994 - Enregistrements-réponses des variations climatiques du Pleistocène supérieur et de l'Holocène sur le littoral de Casablanca (Maroc). Quaternaire, 5, (3-4), 173-180.
MOHIB A., 2001 – L'Acheuléen de la grotte des Ours à Sidi Abderrahmane (Casablanca, Maroc) dans son contexte régional (fouilles anciennes et récentes). Thèse de l'Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Rabat, 348
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OCCHIETTI S., RAYNAL J.P., 1996 - La méthode de datation par les acides aminés appliquée à la préhistoire du Maroc. XIII International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Forli, Italia, 8-14 septembre 1996, Abstracts 1, 25.
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RAYNAL J.P., 1998 - Les racines oubliées de Casablanca. Zellige, n° 8, juin 1998, p. 35-36
RAYNAL J.P. et TEXIER J.P., 1989 - Découverte d'Acheuléen ancien dans la carrière Thomas I à Casablanca et problème de l'ancienneté de la présence humaine au Maroc. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, t. 308, série II, 1743-1749.
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Raynal et al., BAM t XX, page 18
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TEXIER J.P., LEFEVRE D., RAYNAL J.P., EL GRAOUI M., 2002 - Lithostratigraphy of the littoral deposits of the last one million years in the Casablanca region (Morocco), In «Paléorivages de Casablanca. Stratigraphie etPréhistoire ancienne au Maroc atlantique», Quaternaire, volume 13, n°1, 23-41 .