In many parts of the Islamic world, due to lack of proper investment and insufficient infrastructure, the tourism industry is not very well developed. This phenomenon has had an impact on the job market. Specifically, women in remote regions of the Islamic world are deprived of job opportunities, despite being fully skilled.

Through a series of case studies from two important countries at the edge of the MENA region (Iran and Morocco), this thesis provides a lens through which to explore new ways of spatial development for a sustainable tourist economy and the promotion of women’s involvement in such an economy. At the heart of this study are analyses of spatial arrangements in rural women’s workplaces located in several remote regions. After considering this information in combination with sociological, architectural, and historical data, I offer a prototypical solution for the empowerment of women through multi-purpose women's cooperative buildings located in rural areas. Specifically, I propose an alternative architectural model for the Women Multi-purpose Handicraft Coop Centre of Arbaa Mesti town in Morocco.

--Parham Karimi, 2017