Boulaouane

Boulaouane (Arabic: بولاوان ) is a city and a rural municipality ( commune Rurale ) in the province of El Jadida in the Moroccan region Doukkala- Abda.

Location

Boulaouane is located about a kilometer west of the river Oum er - Rbia and about 65 km ( driving distance ) south-east of El Jadida, 53 km south-west of Settat at an altitude of about 170 m above sea level. inst. , dating from the 18th century fort ( kasbah ) is located on a hill about 10 km east of the town and is best with a grand taxi to reach.

Population

The population of the municipality is divided into the main town Boulaouane as well as several villages in the area and consists largely of Berbers; People with Arabic descent are a minority of about 15 %. Most speak Arabic with each other.

Economy

Agriculture is the first place in the economy of the community. On a majority of the arable land (about 50,000 ha ) is operated viticulture. The grapes are either on markets ( souks ) sold or processed in the local winery for wine throughout Morocco - has an excellent reputation, though a ban on alcohol is enshrined in the Koran - and beyond.

History

About the history of the Berber village is not known, but mentioned Leo Africanus in 1514 a Moroccan place called Bu'l'Awan, which is equated with Boulaouane. In the early 18th century, the Moulay Ismail Alawidensultan was on a hill above a bend of the Oum er - Rbia a fortress built by the always troubled Berber tribes of the area to be able to keep better control.

Kasbah

The crenellated outer walls of built on approximately trapezoidal plan fortress consist mainly of unhewn stones. Only for the mount portal and the cornerstones of the towers precisely carved stones and bricks were used. Above the apex slightly pointed and vaguely reminiscent of the great Portalbauten the Almohads in Rabat and Marrakech, entrance portal is an inscription with the year 1122 the Islamic calendar (ie 1710/11 AD ) and the name of the architect. The many-towered wall encloses a courtyard with several already heavily decayed buildings: Visible are still the mosque with its minaret and a mosque courtyard ( sahn ), another half-ruined tower, which is interpreted as a watchtower and a long room with a - largely collapsed - barrel vault, well as the bathhouse ( hammam ) was used. Other ruins are likely to have belonged to former lodging, magazines, stables or small shops. The water supply was ensured by means of a large cistern; in times of drought you had to go down to the river to fetch water from there.