Bou Inania Madrasa

Bou Inania Madrasa (Fes)

madrasa

Part of	Medina of Fez
Country	Morocco
Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd	Fez
Coordinate location	34°3′44″N 4°58′58″W
Commissioned by	Abu Inan Faris
Heritage designation	Moroccan cultural heritage, part of UNESCO World Heritage Site

De Bou Inania Madrasa anaa Bu 'Inaniya Madrasa (Arabic: المدرسة البوعنانية, romanized: al-madrasa ʾabū ʿinānīya; Berber languages: ⴰⵙⵉⵏⴰⵏ ⴱⵓ ⵉⵏⴰⵏⵉⵢⴰ) be a madrasa insyd Fes, Morocco, Abu Inan Faris build insyd 1350–55 CE.

Ebe de madrasa per insyd Morocco wich sanso function as a congregational mosque. Dem widely acknowledge am as a high point of Marinid architecture den of historic Moroccan architecture generally.

History

De minaret of de madrasa, dem see thru Bab Bou Jeloud

Founder den patron: Sultan Abu Inan

Dem derive de name Bou Inania () from de name of ein founder, de Marinid sultan Faris ibn Ali Abu Inan al-Mutawakkil (generally Abou Inan anaa Abu Inan for short). Na dem originally name am de Madrasa al-Muttawakkiliya buh na dem instead retain de name Madrasa Bu Inania. Na he be de son den successor of Sultan Abu al-Hasan, under whose reign de Marinid empire reach ein apogee wey he expand all de way to Tunis insyd de east. Abu Inan, who rebel against ein poppie wey he declare einself sultan insyd 1348, buh na he no fi manage hold onto all dese new eastern territories, buh na de Moroccan state be nonetheless prosperous during ein reign. Na ein vizier assassinate am for January 10, 1358, for de age of 31. Na ein death mark de beginning of de dynasty ein definitive decline, plus na subsequent Marinid rulers be mostly figureheads dem control by powerful viziers.

Context: de role of Marinid madrasas

Na de Marinids be prolific builders of madrasas, a type of institution wich originate insyd northeastern Iran by de early 11th century wey na ebe progressively adopted further west. Dese establishments serve make dem train Islamic scholars, particularly insyd Islamic law den jurisprudence (fiqh). Na de madrasa insyd de Sunni world be generally antithetical to more "heterodox" religious doctrines, wey dey include de doctrine espouse by de Almohad dynasty. As such, e cam only make e flourish insyd Morocco under de Marinid dynasty wich succeed de Almohads. To de Marinids, madrasas play a part wey dey bolster de political legitimacy of dema dynasty insyd. Dem use dis patronage make dem encourage de loyalty of Fes ein influential buh fiercely independent religious elites wey e sanso make e portray demaselves to de general population as protectors den promoters of orthodox Sunni Islam. Na de madrasas sanso serve make e train de scholars den elites wey operate dema state ein bureaucracy.

Na de Bou Inania Madrasa be largest den most important madrasa de Marinid dynasty create wey dem turn am into one of de most important religious institutions of Fes den Morocco. Na ebe de madrasa per wey gain de status of congregational mosque anaa "Friday mosque", wich mean dat na dem deliver de Friday sermon (khutba) hie like insyd de oda most important mosques of de city. As a result, na dem fully equip am plus all de facilities of a major mosque den religious complex, in addition to extensive decoration. Dem sanso consider de architecture den decoration of de madrasa e be de culmination of dis type of Marinid architecture.

Architecture

General floor plan of de madrasa (ground level)

De madrasa actually be a complex of buildings wey togeda dey provide de facilities require make e serve as a madrasa den mosque. De main building get de outline of an irregular rectangle wey dey measure 34.65 by 38.95 metres.Edey locate between Tala'a Kebira den Tala'a Seghira, two of de most important streets of Fes el-Bali, wey e dey align plus wat na dem consider ebe de qibla (direction of prayer), to de southeast. Dis main structure dey include de study areas, de mosque anaa prayer hall area, den living quarters give students, den ablutions room. Directly across de street to de north be anoda, larger, ablutions house () plus latrines. Right next to dis be de Dar al-Magana anaa "House of de Clock", wich dey feature a famous buh currently non-functional hydraulic clock for ein facade top.

Entrances

De rear entrance, dey open from Tala'a Seghira, dey lead via a bending corridor to de main courtyard. Dem dey mark dis entrance by very fine decoration, wey dey include a carved wooden canopy dem situate above a panel of carved stucco decoration. Directly above de doorway be a wooden lintel dem carve plus an Arabic inscription wey dey name Abu Inan as de madrasa ein founder. Na insyd dis part of de building sanso be a Qur'anic school give kiddies (similar to a kuttab).

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  De main entrance for Tala'a Kebira street
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  Vestibule of de madrasa (Tala'a Kebira entrance)
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  Wooden muqarnas ceiling over de vestibule
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  Bab al-Ḥafa, de secondary entrance from Tala'a Kebira
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  Decorative canopy over de rear entrance for Tala'a Seghira street

Main courtyard den adjoining chambers

Dem center de building around a large rectangular marble-paved courtyard slightly deeper dan e be wide. For ein center be a fountain den basin make e assist insyd ablutions, as be common insyd chaw mosque sahns. De courtyard be surrounded on three sides by a narrow gallery, dem partially hide by wooden screens between de pillars wey dey uphold de walls of de floor above. De passages of de gallery dey lead to oda rooms, mostly living cells give de madrasa students, around de courtyard. For de northwestern den northeastern corners of de building be stairways wey dey lead to an upper floor wich be occupied by more living quarters give students, sam of wich get windows wey dey overlook de courtyard.

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  Courtyard, wey dey look northwest towards de entrance
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  Courtyard, wey dey look northeast towards one of de lateral study rooms
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  Courtyard, wey dey look southeast towards de prayer hall
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  De gallery passage around de courtyard

Decorations

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  Zellij tilework wey dey feature geometric motifs (below), plus sgraffito-type tiles (middle) and stucco decoration (above) wey dey feature Arabic calligraphy
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  Stucco carving, wey dey include muqarnas, along de walls den arches of de courtyard
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  Carved geometric den arabesque dey detail insyd de cedar wood doors of de lateral chambers off de courtyard
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  Muqarnas sculpting insyd de intrados of de archway for de entrance of de lateral chambers
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  Coloured glass windows above insyd de prayer hall, plus stucco grilles den surrounding stucco decoration

De minbar

Details of de minbar ein flank insyd a 1921 photo

De original minbar of de madrasa ein mosque dem today house am for de Dar Batha Museum (wey dey locate near Bab Bou Jeloud), plus a later replacement now present insyd de mosque einself. De minbar dey date from 1350 to 1355, wen na dem dey build de madrasa, wey ebe notable as one of de best Marinid examples of ein kind. Minbars, dem often describe anaa dem translate as a "pulpit", na ebe mostly a symbolic object insyd mosques by dis period; na de design of de Bou Inania minbar no allow an imam make he actually climb am for practice.

External links

• Discover Islamic Art, Museum with no Frontiers (archived)(retrieved November 12, 2008)
• The madrasa on archnet.org
• Patterns in Islamic art Archived 2012-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
• Bou Inania Madrasa المدرسة البوعنانية photos from Manar al-Athar Digital Photo Archive