2023-09-20 16:22:00
There is no exact information yet about the real scale of destruction caused by the earthquake in Morocco. As the death toll rises and hopes of rescuing survivors under the rubble dwindle, the first inventory of cultural property damaged by the disaster is being carefully carried out.
Several of Morocco’s nine World Heritage sites are seriously damaged, according to UNESCO. These include parts of the nearly thousand-year-old Medina in Marrakech, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The city’s most important landmark, the Al-Qutubiyya Mosque, built in the 12th century, was also badly damaged. The minaret of the Harbukh mosque also collapsed, and the historic Jewish quarter of al-Mallah received serious damage. Many cracks and holes have appeared in the famous historical red stone city wall.
Although work is already underway in Marrakech to clear the rubble and the first cafes have even opened, outside the city the situation is much worse. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Al-Hawz province in the High Atlas Mountains.
Saving people, then saving culture
“After a catastrophe like this, the most important thing is to save lives,” Eric Falt, regional director of UNESCO’s Maghreb office, told The Art Newspaper. However, Falt also stressed the importance of assessing damage and restoring tangible and intangible cultural heritage. According to him, it is necessary to immediately develop a plan for the second phase, which will include the reconstruction of schools and cultural institutions damaged by the earthquake. He added that for UNESCO, preserving and restoring the heritage of Marrakech will be a long-term task, the solution of which will require enormous efforts.
In photographs on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the destroyed buildings include the Tin Mal Mosque deep in the Atlas Mountains, one of the most important historical buildings in the country. “This is a symbolic place in Moroccan history,” says Falt. Its destruction represents an inestimable loss for the country. The Tin Mal Mosque was a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List in Morocco.
Loss of cultural identity
UNESCO representatives have been on site for several days to get a complete picture of the damaged cultural monuments. Often these ancient monuments are of great importance not only for tourists and historians, but also for affected local residents, explains Blue Shield President Susann Harder in an interview with DW: “Even in times of crisis, people have the right to culture. This does not mean that they should go to a museum among the ruins and death. But it is important that they have the opportunity to observe ritual traditions at funerals, so that they can seek places of prayer outside the destroyed historical mosques, especially during this difficult time for them “. Rituals and celebrations that give people a sense of community can give them a sense of stability and unity, says Suzanne Harder.
The minaret of the Harbouche Mosque in Marrakech after the earthquakePhoto: Lafargue Raphael/ABACA/picture alliance
Culture is extremely important to people who have just lost everything, says Harder, who studied World Heritage and Egyptology. Of course, after a disaster, it is necessary first of all to save people, provide the population with food and drinking water, and find safe shelters. But after this, the time will come when people will remember their cultural heritage.
In Morocco, these are primarily old cities recognized as World Heritage Sites, such as the old city of Marrakesh. If something like this is destroyed, people lose part of their cultural identity. “Places like this are not only of tourist importance. First of all, they are residential premises,” says Harder.
When cultural heritage is destroyed, whether through natural disasters or war, people not only lose an important anchor, but also part of their cultural memory. It is very useful here to quote the opinion of a resident of Marrakech, who literally told a reporter from The National newspaper the following: “I am shocked. Our cultural identity was defined by these old cities.”
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