Historical monuments in Tinghir
The Kasbah of the Glaoui in tinghir
The Kasbah of the Glaoui is located on the hill "Iger n Mahal", near the "Tasga" Palace and not far from the Tinghir Palace, observing the city and the oasis of Todgha. It is a symbol of a bygone era but still modern.
Known as Taglawit by the inhabitants of Tinghir, the Kasbah of El Glaoui covers an area of 7,000 square meters and consists of two main buildings. The first, known as the "Old Kasbah", was built in January 1919 after a large number of Aït Tdought's palaces had succumbed to the Tuhami El-Glaoui movement. The site chosen was tell Eger n Mahal, where every time the sultan's army descended into the area for its construction, most of the submissive men of the palaces were forced to come to work there, without pay, which allowed for progress very quickly.
The Kasbah of the Glaoui in tinghir
Once the Kasbah had been completed, El Glaoui left for Ouarzazate with his men, leaving a caliph (or representative) and a small garrison of soldiers. A year later, the area was attacked by Ait Atta in Tafilalet and Ait Mergad in Ferkala under the leadership of Ba Ali. Al-Galawi's movement had to return for several months of fighting. When he left, a new energetic caliph was installed, Said Oulaid Otunfeet, who had stood against the rebels for seven years but in 1927 a new rebellion broke out led by Ait Atta from southern Todgha and they made successive attacks on the Kasbah. This rebellion was not ended until the arrival of the French army in 1930. After that a second building was built called the "New Kasbah", in which slightly fewer barracks were built, as well as French barracks.
The Kasbah of the Glaoui in tinghir
If the old Kasbah had very austere military designs, as it was intended mainly for defense, the new building had a beautiful courtyard surrounded by columns and corridors, and its rooms had walls and ceilings covered with carved plaster. Adapted to the variation of the floor, it was larger on the floor than on the ground floor. The four classical towers were not located in the corners, but only on the veranda, and a fifth tower in the middle of the south wall allowed the allocation of a spacious space like that of the city palaces, where the concerts of courtyards and ahidos were given.
In addition to the two huge apartment buildings, the gated complex also included a large number of outbuildings, such as the guardhouse, two large open spaces for military exercises and concerts, guest accommodations, stables, kitchens and storerooms.
Inside a Kasbah of the Glaoui in tinghir
The kasbah was then used until Morocco's independence in 1956. After the death of Tohami El Glaoui and his family's loss of power, it was abandoned, like thirty other kasbahs throughout southern Morocco. Then the Kasbah of El Glawi suffered the retaliation of those who were oppressed and exploited by him and had to work without pay to build it. All reusable materials such as beams, doors and windows have been removed and some of them have been burned.
Four decades later, the group was bought by investor Mohamed Choukrani for the purpose of restoring it and opening it up for tourism, but this purchase was disputed by some residents of Tinghir. Until now, this project has been left unattended and the Kasbah El Glaoui is in a state of advanced ruin.
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https://www.tamazghapeople.com/2021/09/historical-monuments-in-tinghir.html