played an important role in African history
as soon as it began to develop at the beginning of the 20th century, especially since the 1920s.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.
Before the French Protectorate
The area which is today Casablanca was settled by Berbers
by about the 10th century BC. - Jewish Virtual Library
A small independent kingdom, in the area then named Anfa
, arose around late Roman time in response to Arab Muslim
rule, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids
During 14th century, under the Merinids
, the town rose in importance as a port and in the early 15th century, became independent once again. It emerged as a safe harbour for pirates. This led to attacks by the Portuguese
, who destroyed the town in 1468. The Portuguese used the ruins to build a military fortress in 1515. The village 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 it.
The town and the medina of Casablanca as it is today was founded... Read More