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SUMMARY:Medinas of the Maghreb and the concept of Islamic city: Between texts and models
DESCRIPTION:A lecture by Amine Kasmi\, Associate Professor\, Department of 
 Architecture\, University of Tlemcen\, Algeria\n\nTuesday\, January 25\, 
 2022\, 5:00pm - 6:30pm\; Registration Required. See below.\n\nAbstract: 
 \n\nOn the question of an archetypal model of the Islamic city\, several 
 regional scholars and Orientalists have tried to give some answers\, each 
 focusing on a specific aspect to the originality of these cities. Some even 
 expressed great skepticism toward the concept of "Islamic city" as an urban 
 ideal of the Muslim world.\n\nThe medinas of the Maghreb (Algeria\, Morocco 
 and Tunisia)\, like most medieval Islamic cities\, are characterized by the 
 centralization of the main religious and economic institutions. They are 
 also divided into specialized districts so that the compact districts of 
 the residential areas are clearly distinguished from an economic district 
 that is morphologically much less dense.\n\nDefensive structures also hold 
 a prominent place in the medieval Islamic conception of the city\, 
 expressed through ramparts\, crooked streets\, and vaulted passages. It 
 should be added that medieval Islamic cities generally incorporated most 
 characteristics of medieval European cities\, including the concept of 
 enclosure. However\, in the case of the medinas in the Maghreb\, this sense 
 of enclosure is pushed to the extreme for climatic and military reasons\, 
 as well as the constant concern for the protection of privacy.\n\nOn the 
 other hand\, Islamic cities as human settlements suggest additive growth. 
 This does not mean that cities developed haphazardly\, but rather 
 development proceeded according to a voluntaristic design\, structured by 
 non-geometric paths connecting various destinations\, the most significant 
 of which were the mosque\, the souk\, and residential quarters. We can note 
 many similarities of the medinas throughout the Maghreb. This is especially 
 true given that the early Islamic conquests favored the generalization of 
 the same ideas. In less than a century after the emergence of Islam\, 
 several new cities sprang up following the model of Medina\, the first city 
 of Islam.\n\nThe purpose of this lecture is to confront various theoretical 
 conceptions of this issue in order to trace morphological and landscape 
 characteristics of Maghrebi medinas.\n\nThe lecture is intended for all 
 audiences interested in the historical development of cities in the Maghreb 
 or Islamic societies more broadly. No prior knowledge is required. 
 \n\nAbout the Speaker:\n\nAmine Kasmi is a conservation architect and 
 associate professor at the Department of Architecture\, University of 
 Tlemcen\, Algeria. He teaches courses and conducts research in the history 
 of urban design with a particular focus on the tensions between modern town 
 planning and traditional urban fabric. His areas of interest also include 
 the interaction between Islamic architecture and other architectures in the 
 medieval Mediterranean world. He worked on numerous urban conservation 
 sites in Algeria as well.
ORGANIZER;CN="Michael Toler\, Ph.D.":MAILTO:mtoler@mit.edu
CATEGORIES:Presentations
CONTACT;CN="Michael Toler\, Ph.D.":MAILTO:mtoler@mit.edu
STATUS:CONFIRMED
UID:LibCal-8744930
URL:https://libcal.mit.edu/calendar/events/MaghrebiMedinas
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