| Dar Adiyel | |
|---|---|
دار الديال | |
 Interior of Dar Adiyel | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | palace,riad |
| Architectural style | Moroccan,Moorish architecture |
| Location | Fes,Morocco |
| Technical details | |
| Material | wood, brick, tile |
| Floor count | 1 |
Dar Adiyel orDar 'Adiyil is a historic mansion inFes el-Bali, the oldmedina ofFes,Morocco. It is located in the Zqaq el-Bghal neighbourhood, a short distance south fromTala'a Seghira street.[1][2]
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The exact date of the house's construction is unknown, but it was built sometime in the late 17th or early 18th centuries.[1][3] The house is named after one of its earliest owners, Abd al-Khaliq 'Adiyil. He was a rich merchant who was anamin (provost or magistrate) in Fes under theAlaouitesultanMoulay Ismail (ruled 1672–1727) and then became governor of the city under his son, SultanMoulay Abdallah (ruled 1729–1734).[4][1][2] 'Adiyil was also responsible for the construction of theFunduq al-Najjarin to the east. After he died in 1747 the house became the property of the government and in the 19th century it was used as an office of the statetreasury.[1]Coins were struck here for the city and revenues fromindirect taxation were collected here before being passed on to the central treasury.[4]: 260
At the establishment of theFrench Protectorate over Morocco in 1912 the house became the regional headquarters of theService des Arts indigènes ("Service/Office of the Native Arts"), which oversaw the study and preservation of historic heritage, under the direction ofAlfred Bel at the time.[1] Its ground floor also served as the first Museum of Native Arts (Musée d'Arts indigènes), before this role was transferred toDar Batha (the current historic art museum of Fes) in 1915.[1][2] The house continued to serve as an office for this agency under its two subsequent directors, Prosper Ricard and Marcel Vicaire.[2] It later became aconservatory of Andalusian music before falling into neglect in the 1980s.[5][6][3][7]
The house has recently been restored in cooperation withUNESCO and with funding from theItalian government.[7][8][9] Since then it has resumed its function as a music conservatory and in recent years has served as one of the venues for theWorld Sacred Music Festival of Fes.[10]
The house is considered one of the most beautiful and well-preserved examples of domestic architecture in Fes, with architectural similarities to houses of the earlierSaadian andMarinid periods.[1][4][7] It has two stories and, like many traditional Moroccan houses, is centered around a main courtyard. It is entered via a bent passage from the street which leads directly to the courtyard. The courtyard, as the centerpiece of the house, is elegantly arranged and richly decorated.[1] At its middle is a fountain and around its sides runs a two-story gallery. The gallery is highlighted with wooden elements and stucco decoration, as well aszellij-decorated wall fountains between some of its pillars.[1][3] On both the ground floor and the upper floor there are four rooms arranged around the courtyard and accessed from the gallery.[7]
Palaces and historic residences in Morocco | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fez |   | |
| Marrakesh | ||
| Meknes |
| |
| Rabat | ||
| Tangier | ||
| Other locations | ||