Revue d'Architecture
Volume 3, Numéro 1, Pages 23-42
2024-12-31
The "place Of Camels" In Bechar, From The Rahba To The Urban Public Place: Uses And Social Potential
Authors : Biara Ratiba Wided .
Abstract
Public places, heiresses of the forum and the agora, meet the need for «meeting between all the citizens», and «allow the access to all the urban places», then are maintained by need «without public spaces, the cities cannot quite simply function» [1] (M. Bassand, et al. 2001). Their organization corresponds to the installation produced by the society. Their spatiotemporal evolution, testifies of long historical periods marked on by major continuities, breakings, reconfigurations and changes. In Saharan Algeria, the "place of camels" in the city of Bechar corresponds to this reality. It typically represents the Rahba, relayed on the main caravan routes, a place of barter, an imperative for Oasis societies. Today, transformed into an urban public square, this relic distorts its historical commercial uses for a contemporary decorative function. This morphological transformation of the "place of camels" is accompanied by a radical conversion of its vocation, which does not seem to support the new data of modern times. Always prominent, this mnemonic space becomes a place of questioning when its social function is neutralized. This article explores the consequences of this metamorphosis on the experience of the place, through a qualitative interview survey. The results of the survey show that even if the "place of camels" occupies a symbolic and landmark role in the city of Bechar, it can no longer play its role as a place of urbanity, especially since its form can no longer be adapted to the function it fulfils.
Keywords
Rahba ; place of camels ; Bechar ; oasis space ; experience ; users
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