Mohamed Métalsi
Mohamed Métalsi | |
|---|---|
Mohamed Métalsi in 2015 | |
| Born | 14 June 1954 Tangier, Morocco |
| Education | Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis (PhD) |
| Occupations | Urbanist, academic, author |
| Notable work | Fès: La ville essentielle (2003) |
| Awards | Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officier), Wissam of National Merit |
Mohamed Métalsi (born 14 June 1954) is a prominent Moroccan urbanist, researcher, and academic specializing in Islamic architecture and the urban history of Moroccan medinas. He is widely recognized for his scholarship on the city of Fez and served for three decades as the Director of Cultural Actions at the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris.[1]
Education and career
Born in Tangier, Métalsi pursued his higher education in France. He studied urban planning at the Institut français d'urbanisme before earning a doctorate in aesthetics, sciences, and technology of arts from Paris 8 University in 1993. His thesis, supervised by Élodie Vitale, examined the architectural forms and spatial organization of the medina of Tangier.[2]
From 1984 to 2015, Métalsi was the Director of Cultural Actions at the Institut du Monde Arabe, where he established the "Musicales de l'IMA" and the "Jeudis de l'IMA" (Thursdays at the IMA), organizing over 1,500 debates and promoting Arab culture in Europe.[3] In October 2015, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez (UEMF).[4]
He has also served as an expert on heritage for UNESCO and was the director of the Forum for the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in 2016.[5]
Selected works
Métalsi has authored numerous books on Moroccan urbanism and architecture:
- Les villes impériales du Maroc (1999)
- Fès: La ville essentielle (2003)
- Maroc, les palais et jardins royaux (2004)
- Tanger: Fortunes et infortunes d'une ville (2007)
- Maroc, cités d'art, cités d'histoire (2018)
Awards
- Exceptional Class of the Wissam of National Merit (Morocco, 2000).[3]
- Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2017).[6]
References
- ^ "Mohamed Métalsi, portrait d'un homme épris de culture". Atlasinfo (in French). 13 December 2024.
- ^ "Mohamed Métalsi : Formes architecturales et organisation de l'espace d'une cité musulmane". theses.fr. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Mohamed Metalsi décoré par le Conseil de l'ordre français des Arts et des Lettres". Yabiladi (in French). 6 February 2018.
- ^ "Rencontre avec l'urbaniste Mohamed Métalsi". Herodote.net. 11 April 2016.
- ^ "MEDLIHER - Mediterranean Living Heritage" (PDF). UNESCO. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "Nomination dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres été 2017". Ministère de la Culture. Retrieved 5 February 2026.