We are currently witnessing a ruthless destruction of our urban heritage inherited from a not-so-distant past. The Abdelkrim El Khatabi garden, formerly Gallieni, adorned with large white Carrara marble basins from Europe, ordered by Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz for the Marrakech residence, and which cannot be moved due to a lack of sufficient transport means. Abandoned, vandalised... these basins have lost their aura of yesteryear, symbols of a lavish past. They have fallen into a spiral of decay, victims of bad intentions or rather the lack of will of the officials who did not seek to preserve these objects of inestimable value. Were these basins left to fall into ruin in order to erase a part of the city's history? The historical, architectural, and heritage value of these basins, witnesses to a part of history, requires us today to preserve and jealously maintain them, like other cities in the Kingdom that have so well preserved their monuments by maintaining them wonderfully. But humidity and bad weather, in addition to the lack of maintenance, have ended up getting the better of these basins, which have completely degraded to become nothing more than a pile of ruins. After being vandalised, only one piece remains intact today. Are these cultural riches not a reflection of our past? Is losing this heritage not a loss of a part of ourselves?
News 24 Aug 2014 2 min read
Acts of vandalism

