Paul Pascon was a Moroccan sociologist whose multidisciplinary work aimed to elucidate French colonialism in Morocco and the capitalism that accompanied it, and the development of Morocco after its independence from France. He was perhaps the first modern scholar to study Gara Medouar, and he was one of the foremost experts on the Moroccan economy and agriculture and its transformation under colonialism and after independence.

Gara Medouar, also known as Jebel Mudawwar, Gara Mdouar or Mdoura, is a horseshoe-shaped geological formation near Sijilmasa, Morocco. In the 11th century it was developed into a fortress with a military garrison that likely protected the nearby trade city of Sijilmasa, where gold coins were minted, and the trade routes from the south. Representatives of the Almoravid dynasty likely had the fortifications built, which included a wall of up to 12 metres high that closed off the only opening to the massif, two walls and defensive structures along the mountains, dams in the canyons to collect water, and a variety of structures on the plateaus.