The province of Granada and the region of Tangiers-Tetouan.
This choice was made due to the presence of raw materials and artisans who worked in a traditional way in crafts in trades related to National Heritage, and who used work techniques similar to those used in Nasrid times for the construction of the Alhambra.
Supported by the smooth running of the economy in recent years, the Moroccan Government has launched a series of major projects related to the habitat and the infrastructures that have given important encouragement to the sectors of building and public works (BTP, Bâtiment et Travaux Publiques).
Our contribution to this project has been to try and attract the thriving industry of construction towards the field of heritage.
For some years now Morocco has been a priority for Spanish Cooperation, and it is, in fact, our main associate in the Maghreb. Its geographical proximity, shared history, the multiplicity of flows and political and economic interests that exist between the two countries are sufficient reasons to maintain a very high level of cooperation, despite the ups and downs of the bilateral relations. In addition, the there is already an important community of Moroccans resident in Spain, who maintain family and economic relationships with their home country. This means that it is necessary to focus on the set of actions that make up the Spanish Cooperation in Morocco from a perspective of co-development, understood as a transnational scope where exchange relations dominate.
We must also take into account the fact that this northern region of Morocco provided artisans who crossed the straits during the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, to practise their profession in the areas of Islamic power in the Iberian Peninsula. Theirs was a profession which they practised in their native area, thanks to the abundance of raw materials. In the 16th century they returned once more to these lands when they were expelled from the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada.
This evolution of history makes very interesting and vital the search for those material resources of the area and its artisan centres. So their activities were revitalised and adapted to the new society of the 21st century, where there is a high demand for heritage craftsmen, which is at risk of disappearing due to lack of training.
The geographical situation, its historical relation with the world of Islam, as well as the difficult social and economic situation previously mentioned somewhat superficially, justifies the suitable selection of the city of Granada for the development of the project. This project is presented together with the cities from the North African region of Tangiers-Tetouan (Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Tangiers-Assilah), as they are areas that provide ideal conditions for development of the project.
