The village of Aït Iktel is located in the western High Atlas, 100 kilometres northwest of the city of Marrakesh. Like many of Morocco's thirty thousand villages, Aït Iktel existed in relative seclusion until recent years, relying mainly on traditional village organizations for its survival. Although situated next to the Aït Adle dam, the village's 122 households had no electricity. The past two decades have witnessed widespread drought, and as a result the village women were obliged to spend many hours each day fetching and carrying water from faraway sources. This difficult situation led villagers to appeal for help from family members who are emigrant workers.

“Ait Iktel.” In Modernity and Community: Architecture in the Islamic World, edited by Philippa Baker, 65-76. London: Thames & Hudson, 2001.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture

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