Morocco : A house built in the ancient walls of Marrakech has been demolished

Following the information relayed by several media, including Yabiladi, about the house nestled in the ramparts of Marrakech at Bab Doukkala, the local authorities decided to finally react.

On Friday, Amal Mellakh, researcher in tangible and intangible heritage, shared photos and a video on her Facebook page of the demolition of the house. She said that «a procedure was started by the Wilaya of Marrakech» to «empty the buildings, compensate the occupants, and proceed with the demolition». She adds that the historic wall of the ancient city will be restored later.

«Sincere listening is an act of respect, honesty and professionalism», she says, thanking the «responsiveness» of local authorities and hailing «their commitment to revivification, our heritage and their commitment to maintaining and respecting public places». She also adds that her «wish is to introduce the ordinary citizen into the responsibility of preservation and change the idea that it is just the elite and the administrative officials who must do it; it's our legacy and commitment to all of us», she concludes.

Earlier this week, she published images of a house built in place of a portion of the ramparts of Marrakech, warning that the construction is not recent, causing a wave of indignation on social media.

Local authorities have opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the construction of this house and thus identify where the responsibility lies.