Génesis y evolución de las ciudades normarroquíes hasta el final del protectorado españolestudio de casos desde la geografía histórica

Abstract

The thesis approaches the analysis of cases about cities that are part of an urban system within a territory with a resisted historical identity. A Geographic space that is characterized by having great mutual influences with the Iberian Peninsula, and having a great strategic interest when being located in the zone of contact of the Maghreb with Spain, or of Africa with Europe. The work covers an existing gap in the relations with Spain with Morocco, inasmuch as the analysis object concentrates in the Tingitana Peninsula, in the northwest of this country, which was part of the Protectorate of Spain until 1956. The investigation focuses on analyzing the origin and evolution of three important cities, that nowadays are directors of the territory, this is the case of Tetuan, Xauen and Larache, located each in different geographic scopes: Mediterranean, inner facade mountainous in the Mountain range of the Rif and the Atlantic coast. It happens that the three cities are urban scopes intimately related to Spain, because in its genesis the Muslim diaspora took part after the conquest of Granada, to which was added I the exile of the sefarditas Jews. Centuries later, the Moorish exile reinforced these locations, when being located in them an important contingent of population. The creation of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco sincel912 reinforced the bows with our country and in that period a spectacular urban growth took place, incorporating to the city the model of extension characteristic of our territory, it's about a zone where the Spanish cooperation has taken part in the recovery of its patrimony, with very valued activities and of ample social projection, many of from them directed by the Junta de Andalucía. This union has been reinforced even more with the incorporation of the Mediterranean coast of Morocco and the Mountain range from Grazalema to the Global network of Reserves of the Biosphere. It's about a study where the expositions of Historical Geography and Urban Geography converge, without leaving of side other approaches that contribute to enrich this investigation, which removes from the forgetfulness this zone of the Moroccan territory, where these aspects had not been treated jointly. The compared study of the three cities had never been realized until now, being therefore a pioneering investigation and that covers the existing gap in this territory bounded to our country. Scheme of work is based on an analysis of a diachronic process of each of these sets urban, indicating the more relevant stages in materialization of them like cities of reference, that has evolved from old medinas original walled around the fortress to the modern large cities of European design that today characterize them, uniting to their plot the rational planimetry introduced by the Spaniards and which has become the later model of growth. Next to the analysis of the most singular aspects of each one of the selected cities, it is reinforced in addition with the elaboration of a catalogue of representative and singular buildings in each of them; an inventory that constitutes an outstanding contribution from the patrimonial point of view. The thesis uses the deductive method, applying the models of Historical and Urban Geography to the empirical results obtained by means of an exhaustive work of documentation in archives and libraries in Spain, Portugal and Morocco; having been able to study and to contrast an abundant documentary cartographic, photographic and artistic information that takes shelter in the work of investigation, having served also to develop maps and planes of how it is taken place the urban change over the years. This bibliographical and documentary work has been completed with field work to know on the land the reality the zone as well as to track archives of diverse institutions of local character. The thesis covers the existing gap about the thematic treated in the urban system of the north of Morocco, for being a necessary investigation because of its contents and the diversity of treated aspects, that offer an wide vision that interests to many disciplines, and that show the intense relations and influences that occurred between the two borders of the Straits of Gibraltar.