| Almoravid Qubba | |
|---|---|
| Native name القبة المرابطية (Arabic) | |
| Qubbat al-Ba'diyyin, Qubbat al-Barudiyyin | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Almoravid Qubba | |
| Type | pavilion or mosque annex |
| Location | Marrakesh,Morocco |
| Coordinates | 31°37′53″N7°59′14″W / 31.6315°N 7.9872°W /31.6315; -7.9872 |
| Founder | Ali ibn Yusuf |
| Built | 1117 or 1125 |
| Original use | ablutions pavilion |
| Architectural style | Moorish (Almoravid) |
TheAlmoravid Qubba (Arabic:القبة المرابطية),[Note 1] also known as theQubbat al-Ba'diyyin orQubbat al-Barudiyyin,[1] is a small monument inMarrakesh,Morocco. It was erected by theAlmoravid dynasty in the early 12th century.[2] It is notable for its extraordinary decoration and for being one of the only remnants ofAlmoravid architecture in Marrakesh.[3]
.jpg)
The Almoravid Qubba is situated next to theMarrakech Museum and around 40 meters south of theMosque of Ben Youssef. It is the only surviving example ofAlmoravid architecture in Marrakesh. It was built in either 1117 or, more likely, in 1125, by theAlmoravid rulerAli ibn Yusuf.[1][4]: 43 [5] Scholars have generally accepted that it belonged to the nearby Ben Youssef Mosque, the main mosque of the city at the time, and that it was a pavilion used for ritualablutions beforeprayer.[6][3][1][5] The mosque itself, also originally built by Ali ibn Yusuf, has since been completely rebuilt in more recent centuries.[7] This type of structure for providing water near a mosque was also known as amida'a (Arabic:ميضأة; "ablutions facility") and is found in later mosques in Marrakesh.[4]
In modern times, the existence of the Qubba was first documented by French scholars in 1947, with architectural historian Boris Maslow publishing notes about it in 1948.[8] In the following years, more thorough excavations and studies were carried out under the direction ofHenri Terrasse and Jacques Meunié. Due to the rising ground level and the construction of other structures around it, over half of the Qubba was buried under 7–8 meters of debris. The French scholars refrained from any significant reconstruction or restoration, leaving the structure essentially as found, and published their findings in the 1950s.[8] In the decades since its excavation it has become a historic monument and tourist attraction.[9][10]
The dome (qubba) tops a rectangular building, measuring 7.35 by 5.45 meters, sheltering a water basin.[4] The whole structure is 12 meters tall.[8] Materials used include stone, brick, andcedar wood.[3] The interior is richly decorated with carved floral and vegetal patterns (pine cones, palms and acanthus leaves),palmette/seashell shapes, andcalligraphy. Itscupola has been compared to the domes of theGreat Mosque of Cordoba and theBab al-Mardum Mosque inToledo (both older buildings fromAndalusi Umayyad architecture).[4]
In the corners, between the wings of the cupola and the rectangular outer walls, are four miniature cupolas carved with some of the earliestmuqarnas decoration in Morocco.[4] Since muqarnas decoration would have originated inAbbasid architecture in the Middle East, at least one scholar has suggested that this combination of Cordoban Umayyad and Abbasid motifs was a deliberate stylistic choice by the Almoravid ruler to invoke a shared legacy and heritage with these caliphates.[8]
Around the interior of the pavilion is an Arabic inscription, now badly damaged, which details the foundation of the structure and cites the name of Ali ibn Yusuf and the date of construction, although the year of the date is unfortunately unreadable (leading to scholarly debate about the exact date).[11][4][2]
_(cropped_and_retouched).jpg)
.jpg)
A series of private latrines, possibly built at a later period, have also been excavated all around the domed building.[4] Next to the domed building was also a monumental fountain or water source in another rectangular structure measuring around 14.5 by 4.5 meters.[3]: 104 The structure was open to the street via three arched openings, with eachbay occupied by a water basin and a water trough along its back wall.[3] This fountain structure is reminiscent, in its basic form, of later wall fountains of Marrakesh like those of theMouassine Mosque or of theShrob ou Shouf Fountain.[4]
The water for this fountain and the ablutions kiosk was drawn via bronze pipes from a nearbycistern covered by abarrel vault, which can be found today behind these structures.[3] The supply of water to this cistern probably relied in turn on the revolutionary hydraulics ofkhettaras, a drainage system characteristic of historic Morocco.[3]
_DSCF5775.jpg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Almoravid dynasty topics | |
|---|---|
| Rulers (c.1050s–1147) | |
| Architecture | |